Babe Tag HEA
by BabeTagHEA
Summary: This is a Babe HEA story that is set by in multiple points of view. It is being written by multiple writers. It is also a game of tag. Join us on the road to happily every after as we play with our favorite couple.
1. Chapter 1

A/N not mine, the game is just for fun.

Hey all! This is Lynda, also known as MomofPhoenix. I'm sure that some of you have noticed a game of tag being played here in the JE fandom. Well, we decided that along with posting to our individual pages we are going to post here. This way you can read the story in it's entirety and in order.

Please take a moment to check out the bio on this page. It will let you know how the game is played and who is playing along at this point. If you want to join in please let me know, or check out our Facebook page called Babe Tag Challenge on Fanfiction.

Thank you for joining us on this fun and crazy ride of Tag. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Lynda


	2. Chapter 2

A/N not mine, I own nothing.

 _ **Hey all! This is the beginning of a challenge/ game. If you would like to join us in this game of one shot tag and have a Facebook page come check us out at Babe Tag Challenge on Fanfiction. The rules of the game are posted there. Since this is my brain child, I'm going to kick it off.**_

 _ **All of the one shots in this challenge will build off the one before it with the next writer.**_

Here's Looking at You Kid

The sight before me had been years in the making. My best friend, my brother in arms, was finally going after his woman. I have front row seats for the entire thing.

I picked him up from the airport an hour ago from his last mission. He didn't even want to head back to Haywood to change out of his BDU's. No, we were heading to Plum Bail Bonds, where a certain curly haired, blue eyed girl currently was. His contract with the United States government was over. No more going in the wind.

As he told me when he stepped off of that plane, it was time to start their someday. I didn't even get the SUV stopped before he was jumping out of the car and running for the office door.

I got out and walked into Vinnie's. Connie and Lula stood there wide eyed as they watched Ranger kiss Stephanie. He had her face between both of his hands and her hands were wrapped around him. This was a moment we had all been waiting for.

I began to clear my throat to try and get their attention. We needed to get out of here before the damn cop shows up and ruins this moment, or even that mother of hers. I don't care if I have to crate Morelli and Helen Plum up and ship them to a 'stan. They will not interfere it what was meant to be.

"Ranger, let the poor girl breathe," I tell him.

He slowly pulls back. Steph is standing there with a dazed look on her face.

"Hi, Babe," he says softly. I can only chuckle as she blinks. It takes a moment to realize what just happened and her fave flushes.

"You're home," she say as she reaches up to cup his cheek.

"I'm home and I'm never leaving you again. It's time for someday, Babe."

I'm not sure who was more shocked, Steph or Ranger. They both had startled looks on their faces. Steph from the revelation that Ranger just gave her, or Ranger from finally coming to terms with this truly being real.

"Why don't I take you two to Haywood? That way you can talk or do whatever," I offer them.

Ranger grins and picks her up bridal style and carried her out to the SUV. Steph laughed the whole way.

Connie and Lula still had yet to say a single word. Vinnie came flying out of his office.

"Tell that cousin of mine that I better not see her or Ranger anywhere near this building for the next two weeks. Also, that I'm happy for her," Vinnie says.

I can only nod because I am honestly rendered speechless. Who'd have guessed it, the weasel has a heart.

I leave the office and head to where they are waiting on me. I am about ten feet from them when I hear tires squealing.

A pos Crown Vic comes to an abrupt stop behind our vehicle. One very pissed off Italian plain clothes detective gets out slamming the door. He storms over to them and grabs Steph by the arm. As he begins yanking her away he starts yelling at her.

"You're a piece of work, Cupcake! Cheating on me right in plain sight of everyone. I'm taking you home. You're about to have the lesson of a lifetime," he yells at her.

Ranger stands at his full height. I watch as he snarls at Morelli and knocks him out on sight. I hear clapping and see Carl standing there too.

"Thank you for saving Joe from that deranged man. I'll let the chief know how that guy just came out of no where and knocked him out. Tank, can you give me a hand and toss him in the back of the car for me?" Carl asks.

"Gladly," I reply.

He may have slipped from my hands a couple of times, and I swear I didn't intentionally hit him with the door as I yanked it open. Nope, not me. I would never do that. The sound of Steph's laughter made me smile.

The drive back to Rangeman was made in silence. They were in the back plastered against each other. I had memories of the last few years floating through my head like a movie.

We park in the garage and take the elevator to five. Ranger needed to drop off some paper work then he was going to be offline for the next two weeks as he and Steph began their someday.

I knew that he was taking her to the house he had closed on three days before he left on this last mission. It was near the Cape May lighthouse, right on the beach.

When they went up to seven the office gossips came to my office. Lester, Bobby, Cal, Hector and Manny were all there grinning like fools. They knew that Bomber was here to stay.

"What do we do now? Operation cranial extraction is no longer needed," Lester said.

I had to laugh before I spoke.

"Carpe diem, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."

 _ **A/N Margaretlucylu...Tag you're it!**_

 _ **everyone keep an eye out for the next one shot, that will be done by our wonderful Margaret. We all know her and love her. She is now it.**_

 _ **btw the title comes from Casablanca and I couldn't resist using the Carpe Diem line from Dead poets society at the end.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**That's Living In Denial**_

by Margaretlucylu

 _ **x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x**_

 **"Carpe diem boys. Make your lives extraordinary."**

The men scattered like cockroaches all with a knowing grin on their face and a wicked gleam in their eyes whilst across town a shrill shriek was heard from none other than Helen Plum.

Slamming the phone down with enough force that the handset shattered into pieces, breathing heavily, Helen just glared at what she had done. Her chest was heaving as if she had run a mile.

Snatching the car keys off the hook, she heard the snide, sarcastic yet almost gleeful message on the machine since she couldn't answer that wretched phone. She just growled loudly in frustration and anger, throwing her head up to the ceiling, fists clenched by her side.

"Why me?"

"Helen, this is Suzie Markowitz. I just saw Ranger and Stephanie head out of town in his big black truck and it certainly looks like they are a couple. But weren't you and Angie Morelli just looking over wedding invitations for her and _Joseph?_ Anyway, looks like you and Angie's plans are up in smoke once again."

 **Click.**

 **"Bitch."**

Helen grabbed her bottle of Jack and took a hefty swig.

"Oh what the hell." She guzzled some more for courage and then decided, after crossing herself for the H word, to take the bottle with her.

Again, growling like a huge ravenous bear craving a feast, Helen stormed out to the car on her way to buy a new phone before anyone else could catch up to her. Her driving reflected her mood and she blasted that horn at every moron who got in her way.

Taking a detour via the liquor store for a few bottles of Jack and his discounted friends Jim Beam and Wild Turkey for good measure, she just knew it was going to be a long day. In the car she took a hearty swig of Jack and was on her way. Jack stayed in her bag and the others kept each other company on the floor. Jack was her favorite "tea" after all. She needed him now.

Running into the nearest electronic store that was still open in the Burg, she decided that walking briskly was better and less obvious on her slightly wobbly legs.

Ugh.

She rolled her eyes.

She couldn't help but notice folks were looking at her with smiles big enough to light up the sky. It was like they were waiting for her.

"Those bitter bitches of the Burg. Holier than thou," she muttered to herself. "Don't they have anything better to do? Elsa Markovic. Bet she doesn't know that her Hannah is pregnant, again, and not a wedding ring to be seen. And, who is the father _**this**_ time? Huh?"

Snickers were heard, making Helen regret shopping in her almighty enclave of Burgites. A few brave folks even got out their cell phones as Helen kept her head up while perusing the selection of phones. She was not going to give them the pleasure of seeing her pain.

The TV's around the store showed different traffic stops at the intersections. The one framing Helen Plum's face was the intersection where the camera focused in on the big black truck.

 _ **Ranger's truck.**_

Following the pointing fingers, she herself saw her youngest daughter locked in a passionate kiss that was almost making the windshield fog up.

At that very moment, Helen's cell phone rang as she stood with her mouth agape. Flipping the phone open she groaned when she heard the voice of her best friend, Angie Morelli.

 **Never mind everyone taking her pictures, using that black truck for the backdrop.**

Helen could tell Angie was in tears as she was barely coherent.

"Helen, my poor Joey was arrested, all thanks to your daughter and _**that man.**_ Bella is furious and told me in her language that," I nostri piani sono stati vani. Smettere di vivere nella negazione."

(Our plans were in vain.) (Quit living in denial.)

"It's too much Helen. I'm sure Joseph will be madder than his father was when he hit me all those years ago. I'm throwing in the towel. My son will now take up the mantle, even knowing Stephanie is with that Ranger thug. I've seen it with my own eyes Helen, all over our local traffic reporting stations."

Helen stood there, still as a statue, not minding the crowd in the store looking, pointing and whispering about her. Not this time.

"Angie, everything is settled. We'll be out all this money that I'd saved out of our grocery money for this wedding. It has to happen! _**There is no way I'm going to accept the fact my daughter can embarrass me like this!"**_

"I know Helen, but what can we do? Can you please just come over and give me a ride to get my Joseph out? We'll come up with something."

"Fine, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. I just need to buy a new phone, is all. Mine somehow shattered when I heard the news."

The anger was coming off Helen in waves which had everybody automatically clearing a path right to the cash register. As a matter of fact, except for the annoying easy listening music in the store it was eerily silent.

As she hastily grabbed her purse to pay for the phone, the almost full bottle of Jack decided to make an untimely appearance and tumble out of her bag to shatter on the floor, right in front of everyone. In the silence it was so loud. Helen froze and everyone momentarily held their breath. She glared her death glare at the server amid the audible gasps and stifled snickers and chuckles. Her fists clenched. She wanted to scream and curse them all. Breathing deeply through her nose, she ignored the bottle as she snatched the package from the cashier, trying to sidestep the amber fluid and broken glass while she stuffed it into her bag. Alas, she slipped, much to the delight of the flurry of clicking and frenzied whispers of her captive audience. Helen composed herself, in a manner of speaking and staggered as quickly as she could for the door.

Waiting until she was almost at the door the cashier called to her," Do try to have a nice day!"

With the door closing, her humiliation complete, the entire store erupted in shrieks of laughter.

"Why me? Stephanie Plum, you have some explaining to do. How could you do this to me?"

She screeched out of her parking space to pick up Angie. After some more moron honking of her horn she made it to the Morelli house. Angie was waiting impatiently outside and rushed to the car.

Taking a hefty swig of Wild Turkey, she offered it to Angie. "Here. You might need this."

Like Thelma and Louise, they drove off to the station to bail Joseph out. She ran a red light and cursed when the flashing lights appeared behind her and pulled over obediently. A tall officer approached her car.

"Ma'am. Do you realize you ran a red light? May I see your driver's license, please."

Handing the officer her license, it was immediately obvious to him that she had been drinking when he talked to her up close and the bottles clearly visible to him. Big Dog looked at the license and then back at his colleague's aunt. This was not his day.

Big Dog called for assistance. He told Gazarra to leave it to him or this was going to get ugly having seen the news raging through Trenton like a wildfire.

"Ma'am. Step out of the car. Have you been drinking?" Helen rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the car and the bottles on the floor clinked notoriously together with the shifting weight of the vehicle.

"Why me?"

Helen and Angie were taken to the TPD not before a few excited onlookers managed to snap a few more photos for the hungry Burg. They were feasting on Helen's demise like a frenzied pack of hungry sharks. Now with Angie Morelli in the frame, it was even better.

Helen Plum and Angie Morelli.

Two Hits.

But Helen… **She's the queen bee.**

x0x0x0x0x0x0x00x0x0x0x

 _ **A/N. looked over and corrected by a dear friend of mine Ms. Kim...smooches...**_

 _ **Title is from Midnight Run Movie. (think Robert DeNiro as a bounty hunter.)**_

" **She's the queen bee.** _ **"**_

 _ **Queen Bee is from Mean Girls.**_

Last line is to _**tag AvBabe...take that sucker and lay out the Italian Stallion.**_

 _ **You're it BABE.**_

 _ *** Thank you Google Translate for the Italian words.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_This is my contribution to the game of one shots. At the end I am tagging the next author for the next installment last line will be bold for that author. I hope you enjoy. The last line comes from the movie They Live starring the late Roddy Piper. It seemed appropriate!_

 **Sheila-thanks for your help Babe :-)**

 _They are Janet's._

 **Queen bee**.

JPOV

Helen, she's the queen bee. At least she was. It seems like the Queen Bee of the burg has fallen. The only problem is she took mama with her. I don't know what she was thinking getting into that car with Helen, but she did and they both got arrested. I heard that Cupcake had refused to take Helen's call so Eddie called Frank for her. I guess he said something about 'karma finally biting her in the ass' and hung up. I bonded mama out, putting my house up as collateral. I know mama wouldn't skip.

After dropping mama off at home, I head back to the station, only to find Cupcake and Manoso standing at the docket waiting to get body receipts. The look on Manoso's face said it all. I still don't see why he is glaring at me, he is the one that took my girlfriend away. Before I can even say a word to her, he pulls her close and escorts her out.

Instead of joining the knot of officers talking, I head to my office to work on paperwork. After the last few weeks of long hours and little sleep, I'm looking forward to a nice quiet night alone once this paperwork is done. Sitting at my desk, I notice all the paperwork I had sitting there is gone, but there is a note from the chief to come to his office.

Great.

I quickly strode to his office, wanting to get this done so I can leave. I notice his door is open, so I walk in.

"Close the door." He barks. Shit he is pissed.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" I ask, as the knot in my stomach grows..

"Yes. It has been brought to my attention, that you have been harassing your ex-girlfriend. Not only that, you threatened one of the most prominent men in the city! What the fuck where you thinking!?" He yells at me.

"How is trying to get the woman I love back harassment? I have done nothing to any of the prominent men of this city."

I bit out.

"Ranger Manoso is one of the most prominent men in this city, you jackass. Not only has his business made people's homes safer, but his work in the BEA business has made the streets safer. You have threatened to arrest him numerous times, for what? Being jealous because what he has with Stephanie Plum is something you only find very rarely? Because you have abused your power to harass innocent civilians, you are fired. You are to clear your shit out of your former office and hand over your gun and badge."

I am shocked. "But sir."

He cuts me off. "That's final!" He shouts.

Seconds later his door opens, showing Eddie, who is not in uniform. He now has my position.

Un-fucking-believable.

I make quick work of clearing my things and head home. At least I still have my house.

When I get two blocks away, I notice a lot of smoke in the area. Huh, I guess Cupcake is nearby and blew up another car. I shake the thought from my head and just go home.

Finally, I turn onto Slater Street, but I slam on the brakes when I see fire trucks all over. I park and hurry toward them.

"What the fuck!?"

I yell when I see my house fully engulfed in flames.

Big dog walks over.

"A passerby called it in."

He says before walking away. Bastard.

Instead of sticking around, I go to mama's. When I park she is on the porch.

"What are you doing here, Joey?"

She asks.

I can only sigh.

"It's bad, mama. I was fired because of Cupcake and that thug, then when I came home my house was on fire. I couldn't stay there and watch it burn." I told her softly.

When I looked at her, I expected to see sympathy, but that isn't what I got.

"Honestly, Joseph. Blaming Stephanie and Mr. Manoso for your problems? I taught you better than that. You and Stephanie were not happy at all. I thought you would be happy for her finding someone that does make her happy and treats her with respect." She shakes her head at me.

"But ma, he is into illegal activities!" I tell her.

She rolls her eyes at me.

"You know what this whole arrest with Helen taught me? You should get to know people before you judge. I listened to the 'Burg way too long. The charges against me were dropped. You know why? Because Stephanie and Mr. Manoso told them I shouldn't be punished for getting into a car with that nutjob Helen. So they dropped them. Then I had a long talk with Stephanie and Mr. Manoso. I can finally see what Stephanie is, she is her own person, and she deserves to be happy. You and Helen wanted that poor woman to not think for herself. You wanted her to be a shell of herself. I am telling you now, Joseph. Leave them alone. Better yet, I think it will be a good idea for you to leave before Bella gets here."

Before I can ask her why, the door swings open and in comes grandma Bella.

She glares at me. "You are no longer my grandson. I am appalled at the things I have found out. I put the eye on you boy and you are to never come here again. I hope your 'boys' shrivel up and fall off."

She growls before going upstairs leaving me stunned.

"Leave Joseph. Leave this house and this town."

Wordlessly I walk toward my truck.

As I drive through the burg, I am in a state of shock, in a matter if hours I have lost everything.

I won't take this lying down, though. **I'll be back to chew bubblegum and kick ass… And I'm all out of bubblegum.**

So there it is, MMBabefanmm, tag you're it!


	5. Chapter 5

_JE owns all characters. Just playing with them._

 **Glass Houses**

 **I'll be back to chew bubblegum and kick ass … and I'm all out of bubblegum.** Joseph Morelli was reeling. How the hell can one day bring you crashing down is still roiling and churning in his distorted and twisted brain. His obsession with a curly haired brunette was the cause of his downfall. It was all her fault!

Life just wasn't the same in the Burg anymore. Helen Plum was still in jail while Morelli slunk out of town like a dog with his tail tucked between his legs.

Presently, he was an angry bitter man, full of hatred, with a strong desire for vengeance. Yeah. He wanted to kick some serious ass. However, his departure orders were explicitly clear. For now, Joseph Morelli had little choice. Even though he was so pissed off, so infuriated and frustrated because he couldn't do a thing about it, he was seething at his predicament. He had no control of his current status. It was futile and he was champing at the bit. But he was determined to get even. He wasn't about to take this lying down. He had a score to settle. Someone was going to pay.

He was told, "For everyone concerned, it would be better that you leave the state. Disappear Jo, for a while, a long while. You have become persona non grata. I cannot guarantee you a safe and unbiased future based on your current record. But I'll be watching you. I want you immediately out of the entire Tri-state area. Capiche?" The Chief brooked no argument.

Earlier, he had bonded his own mother out from the jail, using his house as collateral. She and Helen Plum had been arrested. Driving home from the TPD he found his house was ablaze initially thinking Stephanie had blown up another vehicle. So this day just couldn't get any worse. Or could it? Each event in his downfall and misery was Stephanie's fault. It was all her doing.

So, he had been given his marching orders. Since he was stripped of his TPD status, not a recommended or temporary retirement, nor an interstate transfer, Jo was fired! So **Mister** Joseph Morelli was on his way, out of town, out of state and he had just become aware that he had an escort. Because he was so pissed off he didn't notice them at first. Initially he was sure it was Manoso's thugs but the note which he found earlier on his windshield indicated otherwise. This was not good. He noticed cars along the way, towncars, with dark tinted windows, not the shiny black Rangeman fleet vehicles. This did not bode well. Some tailed him for miles then peeled off to be replaced by another towncar, or two. What the fuck?! He put his foot down as he tried to shake them off. They did likewise lurking a safe distance whilst letting him know that they were still there. No mistake about that. He was feeling a bit intimidated especially now that he was a civilian without the power of authority or protection that he used to hide behind when he had his TPD badge. This day was going to shit, constantly deeper.

Previously, after talking to his mother, he discovered that this really bad day was getting worse with each and every turn. He took stock of his current predicament. His Cupcake had married that Manoso thug. He still firmly believed that she was his, his entitlement because he had her first. Ironically Morelli did not see the whole picture. His narrow and selfish perspective had seriously clouded judgement. Glaringly obvious was his lack of maturity and increasing lack of control as the waves of hatred and venom rolled over him. He vented his spleen on the morons and idiots driving in his way as he made for the Turnpike. Finding his house on fire meant the only possessions he had were the clothes on his back and what he had in his truck. His mother, his own mother, had disowned him. He had lost his Cupcake to Manoso. He had been fired from his job at the TPD for conduct unbecoming an officer. His own mother had basically told him he was no longer welcome in her home and Grandmother Bella had cast him out with a vicious, scornful curse threatening to shrivel 'his boys'. He was her favourite grandson, but obviously no more. He winced and shuddered at the thought of his precious 'boys' being harmed and caressed them gently as if to protect and reassure that they were still … intact and whole. She was ashamed of him after what she heard. What the hell did that mean?

ooOoo

In the meantime, the telephone in the Plum household was surprisingly silent. No phone calls, incoming nor outgoing. No gossip mongering and whining. Frank stared at the inanimate object with disdain. It had been the bane of his life, that wretched phone constantly attached to Helen's toxic ear, a bitter conveyance of her spiteful vitriol. The unusual quietness in the house, yes house, not home, though disconcerting, was actually peaceful.

Helen is still deep, deep, **deep** in denial. She'd been living in her glass cathedral and the Queen Bee was still smarting. She had been stung and is still whining. Her fall from grace had been a spectacular one. She'd been so busy and entrenched in throwing stones from the rooftop of her glass cathedral, passing judgement on her realm that was the Burg and now her image was totally shattered all because of her youngest daughter.

"Where is Frank?"

"Why am I still sitting here?"

"Don't they know who I am?"

"Why haven't I been bailed out?"

Definitely deep in Denial.

She was pacing and muttering to herself, wringing her fingers in her imaginary apron between smoothing out the creases each time she heard footsteps approach resuming her prim and proper pose on the sterile bench in her cell.

"Stephanie should be here." She muttered. "She does this all the time. Surely, her own daughter, with all that bailing experience, would know how the system works. And Valerie? I would have expected her here the moment they locked the cage door."

When Robin Russell peeked in the holding cells Helen was pacing, constantly, and wringing her hands, her head twitching. It was apparent that she was going through withdrawal. She had been moaning and whining, complaining bitterly and now the shaking and shivering began. Soon the headaches would start. Oh yes. Mrs Plum was not a pretty sight. Shattered. She had complained endlessly about her 'living conditions', the food and the 'amenities'. For now she was quietly muttering, pacing and looking totally shattered.

oooOOooo

Shattered?

Frank sat in his chair. Shattered. His life had change very suddenly. Having to prepare his own meals had been okay at first but he was over that now. He had polished off the cold cuts and leftovers from the fridge and the cake and cookies were gone.

He sat in his chair waiting for the call. The call to sit at the table did not come. No noises from the kitchen of a hot meal being prepared. He no longer ate at the table. So he sat in his chair defiantly, eating a pastrami sandwich and having a beer because he could.

But his life had changed and he was yet to realise it fully. He was dumbstruck. Helen was off her tree. Drunk driving and well over the limit, that much he did know.

And still that wretched phone was silent.

A moment of freedom, a moment of peace. No whining, no nagging. None of that relentless gossip. But he had to admit, he wanted the routine, his routine to be back to 'normal', if you could call it that.

Where were his meals?

His breakfast?

His lunch?

His dinner?

Tonight was Wednesday. Wednesday was always spaghetti night. He loved his spaghetti. He looked in the freezer. Nothing there. Of course, Helen always asserted fresh was best.

So he drove to the lodge. Idling in the carpark deep in thought, a door opened and a passenger stepped in.

"Oh. I'm not taking any fares at the moment."

"I know Frank." He looked up from his daze, startled by the unexpected voice of his friend, Joe Juniak.

"How are you holding up?"

"Meh. Meals are tough. Came here for the evening buffet."

"You look like shit Frank."

"Do I? Where did it all go wrong, to hell in a handbasket? I can't bring myself to bond her out either."

"We've all been there, Frank. We have given them control, relinquishing control to our women for our own peace of mind. We have become Stepford husbands, all to keep them off our own backs with their relentless nagging and gossiping. It had been the best cover we ever had. I remember way back, when we were the targets of their moans and groans. Then we had kids. More moaning."

"Yeah. Tell me about it. I had the Queen of Moans. Then as the kids grew up her focus changed to the Burg. Stephanie was often in the news especially when she joined Vinnie as a bonding agent. To divert attention from herself and her image she homed in on everyone and anyone with a bit of dirt and made sure to share the muddy waters. 'Mrs So-and-so's daughter got pregnant. And Mrs What's-her-name had an affair.' And all that other bullshit. 'Why me?' Christ. If I had a dollar for every time she uttered those two words, I would be a rich man. Huh. Often, I knew before Helen and that pissed her off."

"How did you know before her, Frank?"

"Had an early start at the Post Office and happened to hear the ladies talking. 'What ladies?' She'd asked. So I told her and from then on she made it her mission to be in the know before me. Edna, of course, was a good source with those old crones at the Clip and Curl. And that funeral parlour was a gossip mecca."

They sat there in morbid silence, reminiscing with a distasteful expression on their visages.

"It was kinda good not being the brunt of that incessant nagging, you know? I may have added fuel to the fire with other little titbits of whisperings I heard. It kept her off my back and it worked a treat."

Joe nodded. Men at their age appreciated such diversions.

"You know the Lodge. Men can gossip too. And passengers in my cab divulge information, sometimes unwittingly, sometimes while they chat together I overhear things. Nothing is sacred. But Christ, Joe. This is so surreal."

"We all do it for our own self-preservation."

"But you're not married to Helen Mazur. She just went overboard Joe, and yes, she no longer nags me. Stephanie copped a lot. Valerie was safe living in California and then being a Helen clone as well."

"You have to man up, Frank, for all of us. Find your balls. If you don't we are all in the manure and there by the Grace of God go I. So what are you going to do about Helen?"

"Hmph. Nothing. Let her stew. I've had it Joe. You should have seen the stash of hidden bottles I found, hidden, while I was looking for food to eat. I had no idea it was that bad. She's a lush, a soak. She has a serious drinking problem. Let her dry out. I don't want to deal with the fallout when she goes off because I drained the lot. Even found some bottles stashed in the bathroom, the laundry cupboard and in my shed! What do I do, Joe?"

"I have something in mind. Provisional release, call it conditional with AA and rehabilitation. That much I can do. But we can't hold her forever, Frank."

Leaving the car, Frank and Joe went inside the Lodge, the former feeling morose and shattered. Many of the men patted him on the shoulder in commiseration, shaking their heads.

oooOOOooo

Vibrations were abuzz in the Burg. The Queen Bee is down. All the phones in the Burg were still humming with the latest news. There was a feeding frenzy and Helen was the most delicious fodder.

Hushed tones, excited secret whispers, sniggers and joyous little claps of wicked delight yet, they were also in shock. Yes, in shock but positively vibrating with anticipation and frenzied delight at the demise of Helen Mazur Plum. She had maligned so many of them with her scathing and scornful judgement and now the ship had been flipped over and her ship was sinking fast.

But were many unanswered questions.

Where is Helen?

Is she hiding at home?

No one had seen her at the bakery?

No had had seen her at Giovinchini's.

No one had seen her at The Bag and Shop.

It wasn't until one of the check-out girls whispered that her friend had seen her still at the TPD.

OMG

Stunned silence hit the bakery.

OPEN SEASON!

She's still in the TPD!

She hasn't been bailed!

No one.

No one has released her.

Not her husband Frank. Why not? Why would a husband not bail his own wife?

Not Valerie.

Not Stephanie.

Not even Edna.

Where is Edna?

Atlantic City. A whole bunch of old biddies have gone for the week to scoop the loot at the casino.

OMG

This is just too juicy for the honey bees.

OMG

The jump start jolted them all. The momentary lull was like a heart attack, a seizure and a total shock to the system for them all.

Utter disbelief.

Those brave enough challenged the unspoken accord with snide whisperings that became soft mutterings and now reached their normal bitchy timbre. It was Helen Plum after all. She's going down! Big time. No answers meant there was a lot of speculation.

But they were still guarded.

Angie Morelli.

What will she do?

What will she say?

And as if on cue, Angie and her mother-in-law Bella, slid through the front door.

Everyone froze, holding their breath, watchful and wary eyes stalking her every move, parting the way to the cashier.

"Ladies." She nodded politely.

She made her order at the counter as per usual which made them shift their glances instinctively lest she do a silent curse. Restless movement from the silent watchers made her head spin. Bella sneered, willing to catch an eye.

"What!"

No response.

Angie paid for her goods.

Before she could bag them, from the back could be heard quietly but assertively,

"I wonder how Officer Morelli is?"

"Officer?" Came the sarcastic reply. "He's just **Mr** Morelli now. He got shafted, you know fired for all that hanky-panky and –"

All eyes were watching Angie and Bella. They both flushed red, fist clenching. Bella made to turn but Angie muttered something under her breath as her back went ramrod straight.

"Be careful," she warned scathingly. People in glass houses should not throw stones."

When the doors closed the entire shop burst into cackles and shrieks of laughter along with mocking tones of, "Be careful'" and oohs and aahs.

"Oh. No. Not the eye!"

They were having a field day.

So the two Queen bees and the mother-in-law witch have been disempowered. They no longer have any clout or influence.

"We should celebrate. Make this auspicious day an annual anniversary. We should find a catchy name …. Like Day of Bringing the Bitches Down or QBB Day as in Queen Bee Bitches, you know Q for queen and BB for bee bee. Lots of nods of approval."

"Tomorrow, morning coffee at my place. Bring a plate."

Open season in the Burg.

ooooOOOoooo

In the meantime, Helen had company, a very large woman of comfortable size. She was sassy with Attitude. She did not appreciate sharing her space with Helen after seeing her bigoted reaction. Withdrawal was beginning to make its presence known as she sat shaking and trembling, fearfully watching the large black woman glaring at her, still muttering under her breath. This day couldn't get any worse? Or could it?

" **Hey! You talkin' to me?"**

…ooooOoooo…

 _This is chapter 4 in the Tag Team Challenge and_ _ **Spiffytgm**_ _, you're it! Have fun!_

 **"People in glass houses sink ships"**. Quote from Doc in the movie **The Boondock Saints** , 1999.

The title **Glass Houses** is also a song by **The Classic Crime**. It's worth a listen.

 **"You talkin' to me?"** isfrom the movie **Taxi Driver**.


	6. Chapter 6 Sell Crazy Someplace Else

**A super special thanks to MMBabefanmmm for tagging me in the next chapter of the Babe Tag Challenge, and giving me a GREAT line to work with! Hopefully I did the same for WannaBeBabe because Tag, you're it! :-)**

 **The title is my favorite line from As Good As It Gets. The full line is, "Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here."**

 **Same disclaimer as always goes here...**

"Hey, you talking to me?" Lester Santos purposely bumped into Tank.

Tank swung around and pulled back a fist as if to punch. As soon as he saw it was Santos, he opened his fist and ran his hand over his bald bead. "Sorry man, just muttering to myself. I went to the jail to bail the old bat out. Guess who was also a guest at the inn?"

"Aw, man, that was today?" Lester almost pouted. "Trenton was a much quieter place while she was in jail. Who else was on the inside?"

Tank shook his head. "Lula was in for soliciting. According to her, she mistook an undercover cop for her skip, but why the hell would she be propositioning a skip like that?"

Les clapped Tank on the shoulder. "Not your problem anymore, amigo. Just be grateful you dodged that bullet." He poked Tank. "Hey, if you had bailed Lula out of jail instead of Helen, you could have had an entirely different Blow and Go on your hands."

Tank slapped the back of Les' head. "I was much better off just installing the ignition interlock on Helen's car. I don't need crazy like that, but it was kind of nice being engaged. I miss that part."

Les looked around at the men in their cubicles. "Men," he announced, "We may not have gotten to do Operation Cranial Extraction, but it looks like Operation 'Life Over Lula' is a go!"

Les was answered by a loud cheer. Tank was sure he heard a few "Hell, Yeah's" and "Hooah's" in there. He raised an eyebrow at Les. "Life Over Lula?"

Les gave him a nudge. "Yeah, Operation LOL, get it? Cal wanted Operation 'Helping Everyone Learn to Love', but that sounded gay. Personally, I thought that Operation 'Friends Understanding Critical"

"I got it. The question is, why me?"

Les put his arm around Tank's massive shoulder and guided him towards his office. "You're the one who said to seize the day, man. We're just gonna help you get there. Be ready to go at the end of shift. This is going to be epic!"

At the end of the day, Tank showered in the gym and changed into street clothes. When he walked down to the lobby, he saw the Rangeman stretch hummer waiting outside. With a sigh, he climbed in. Les handed him a beer and asked, "Ready man?" Taking a sip, Tank said no, but Les was already at the front of the car telling the driver, "To the Boobie Bungalow!"

The Boobie Bungalow was a strip joint on Route 206, nestled between a fire station and an adult video store. It boasted women of all shapes and sizes, and even a few pretty ones. The men were loud and rowdy, except for Tank, who sat in a corner and tried his best not to be noticed. When Bobby slipped in some beer, Tank quietly picked him up and took him to the hospital.

While Bobby was getting X-rayed, Tank gave his information to Louise Malinkowski, who he remembered as a friend of Stephanie's. Several hours later, Tank brought Bobby back to Rangeman, sprained ankle and all. He was glad to be able to go home to his cats.

The next day Les asked Tank how he enjoyed his evening. Tank shook his head. "I don't just want a piece of tail, I want something more."

Les shrugged. "You gotta start somewhere, my man. Just be ready to go tonight after work."

That night after work, the men piled into the hummer and drove to The Roaring Donkey. The bar was packed with a good mix of people and the dance floor was jumping. Tank was pretty sure he wouldn't find the right kind of woman here, but he was willing to give it a shot.

After about an hour, Tank was ready to give up. He turned to finish his drink and leave when he almost plowed into a very angry Lula. She smacked him on the arm and said, "Thanks for nothing, Tank. I thought you were better than that."

Tank made sure that his face was carefully neutral. "It's good to see that you got out, Lula."

She put a hand on her hip. "Good my ass. Connie had to bail me out. She did a cash advance on my salary and put my Firebird up as collateral! It's a fine day indeed when the mighty Tank won't even help his girlfriend out."

Tank closed his eyes. "Lula, you broke up with me. You're not my girlfriend anymore." He reached over for his drink, but it was gone. He saw Les chugging it down for him, probably so that he could escape from Lula quicker.

Lula wasn't done being mad, though. "I'd like to see how you handle being all helpless for a change."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lula. I really don't have time to get into this, I have to get home to my cats." He took a step away when Les fell to the floor with a loud crash. Instead of heading home, Tank once again found himself in the Emergency Room.

Louise helped him out with the paperwork again. After they had all the forms filled out she told him, "You may want to stay off the bar scene tomorrow, since it's my day off."

Tank laughed. "I promise. Tomorrow I'm staying home and spending the day with my cats."

Louise smiled. "I love cats. I have two of my own."

Tank was just about to take his wallet out and show her pictures of his when the doctor came out of Les' room. "It's a good thing you got him here as soon as you did. He had enough Rohypnol is his system to take down an elephant. We're hydrating him now. He should be fine in the morning."

Tank remembered that the last thing he saw at the bar was Les finishing his drink. He was pretty sure he knew who slipped the drug in there and there would be hell to pay. It was too bad that Ranger would never allow them to ship her to a third world country with a canteen and a knife.

Tank was still brooding the next morning at their team meeting. He looked at Ram and barked, "Report!"

Ram looked at his notes. "Helen was quite surprised when she went to the liquor store and we were waiting for her at the counter. She put the bottles back on the shelves and stormed out. We followed her to the grocery store where she was eyeing the cooking sherry, but didn't purchase anything signifigant. She usually drives by twice a day, but hasn't attempted to stop again yet. Edna Mazur tells us that Frank Plum seems happy that she's home cooking and cleaning for him, but hates the constant nagging. Apparently she was none too pleased that he didn't spring her. She has become ostracized from the Burg Grapevine, since none of her "friends" call or visit anymore."

Tank was pleased with the report and moved on to Junior. He reported, "We decided to cancel tonight's activity so that Les could have a day to recover." There were snickers all around at the thought of Les getting drugged. "We are a go for Saturday, though. There's a beach volleyball tournament at Point Pleasant, and I managed to secure a spot for Team Rangeman."

Tank put his hand over his eyes. "Haven't you guys had enough with Operation LOL? We've been out twice and twice someone was injured."

Junior smirked. "All due respect sir, but no. There won't be any booze at the beach, so that should cut down on the alcohol related injuries. Besides, I told Bomber about it, and she said that she and Ranger may drive up to watch. I'd hate to disappoint her." As soon as Junior told him that Stephanie was going to be there, he knew he was stuck. There was no way that any of the men would let her down.

Rodriguez spoke up next. "According to Angie, there's going to be a bake sale at her church on Sunday. From what she tells me, most of the women that go there to sell cookies and brownies are actually looking for a nice churchgoing man. It's not something that we can do as a group, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out."

Binkie raised his hand. "Sir, you and I can go if you'd like. Ever since my grandma passed away, I haven't gotten any home baked brownies." Binkie looked so sincere that he knew he was going to have to go. He knew how important a taste of home could be to some of the men. He finished the meeting and went about trying to work for the rest of the day.

The next day, the men gathered at the beach. The weather was warm and the women were hot. Each of the Rangemen were given many phone numbers once the shirts were off and the muscles were flexed, but Tank wasn't sure if any of them would work out. Ranger and Stephanie were indeed there, and he was glad to see both of his friends happy. The highlight of the day was when Rangeman took the first place trophy. The low point of the day was during the final match when Cal and Brett both went for the ball at the same time and Cal ran face first into the pole supporting the net. He got a nosebleed, but seemed to shake it off. Tank figured that having Cal in the match with blood streaked across his face and his flaming tattoo may have intimidated the other team a little too much, but all's fair in love and war. During the drive home, Cal started vomiting. Tank pulled over to assess the damage, and Cal admitted that he was a little dizzy. With a sigh, Tank made yet another trip to the Emergency Room.

Louise saw Tank at the admitting desk and went over to help. "They're not going to let you go to any more bars if this is where you end up each night."

Tank chuckled. "Some of the guys are too thick skulled to learn, but this time we were at the beach. Actually, I think his problem was that he isn't thick skulled enough." Louise helped him finish the paperwork and went back to check on Cal. A short time later, they were on their way back to Rangeman with instruction to wake Cal every two hours for his concussion.

The next day, a very tired Tank rode with Binkie to the church bake sale. There were a lot of women at the bake sale. Unfortunately, most of them were old enough to be Tank's grandmother. He relaxed and walked around the tables while Binkie charmed the pants off the old ladies. When they left, Binkie was loaded down with bags of brownies. They were halfway back to Rangeman When Binkie started having difficulty breathing. Recognizing the beginning of what could be a major allergic reaction, Tank immediately turned the truck towards the Emergency Room.

Binkie was rushed to the treatment area and Tank once again found himself filling out admitting paperwork. He looked up when he heard a familiar voice say, "You could probably fill out that paperwork with your eyes closed by now." He smiled at Louise and she said, "You don't need to keep breaking those guys just to get a chance to see me."

Tank handed the completed paperwork to the admitting nurse and turned to Louise. "Would you believe that it's not my fault?" They both laughed. Seizing the moment, Tank asked her, "What would it take to get a chance to see you again?"

Louise smiled. "Well, I was just about to go on my dinner break. It's only the cafeteria, but..."

Tank took out his cell phone and sent a text. "Someone else will be here soon to take Binkie home. Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

o0()0o

Les and Bobby stood outside the cafeteria watching Tank and Louise. Bobby turned to Les and said, "Huh, I guess Operation Life Over Lula was a success after all."

Les laughed and asked, "Do you think it's time for Operation Self Help In Trenton?"

Bobby shook his head. " **Goonies never say die**."

 **A/N - The quote is, of course, from The Goonies. I summarized my chapter for my husband and asked him what movie quote he would use... He suggested either using just about anything from Saving Silverman or "We're gonna need a bigger boat" from Jaws. Mental head slap!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**This is the next chapter in the Babe Tag Challenge story. A big thank you to Spiffytgm for tagging me and giving me the line "Goonies never die" to play with (One of my favorite movies, btw). Plus, she gave me some very fun content to play with. I hope this is as good as the rest of the story so far.**_

 _ **My title is from the movie The Sandlot and the last line is a nice little quote from Laurel and Hardy, which I thought would be appropriate for Lester and Bobby.**_

 _ **Not my characters of course, like always, just thought I'd throw that in there.**_

 _ **88888888888888888888888888888**_

 **You're Killin' Me Smalls!**

" **Goonies never die**?" Ranger said incredulously.

"What?"

"I'm going to need a dozen crates," he mumbled to himself.

"Crates?"

"They're all going to third world countries."

Uh oh. He usually only joked about sending people to third world countries, but he looked to be quite serious at the moment. "Who are you planning to ship off?" I asked casually as I walked over and perched on the edge of his desk. I could see the tension in his face. The little lines around his eyes deepened. The hard, straight press of his lips were turning the sweet dusky rose color white. The way he ground his teeth together made the muscles in his jaw twitch. It was worse than I thought. "What did they do?"

"Did the men happen to mention anything about what's been happening in Trenton this past week?" I frowned back at him as I shook my head. "Just that my mom was out of jail and forcibly dry…for now."

"That was the good news," he sighed.

Uh no. Ranger never sighed. I'd say he was overreacting if he was anyone else, but Ranger never overreacts to anything. Believe me. I've given him plenty of opportunities over the years. Still, if something really bad had happened the guys would have said so. We just saw them at the volleyball tourney last weekend.

I glanced at the computer for a little insight, but instead my eyes grew wider as I looked at the words that stuck out on the screen. "The Booby Bungalow?"

Ranger shook his head while he dragged his fingers through his silky, dark hair. "Tank took some time off to go to a cat show," Ranger started, then pinched the space between his eyes like this whole thing was paining him. "A cat show…with his new girlfriend, Louise Malinkowski."

"Oh, I like Louise," I smiled as I remembered Louise telling me about her cats the last time I got stitches.

"Mmm," Ranger agreed. "He left Dumb and Dumber in charge while he's been away. I just got their weekly reports."

I bit back a laugh, realizing that he wouldn't appreciate it, but I'd never heard him call Bobby and Les names before. "That bad?" I asked with as straight a face as I could manage.

He pulled me into his lap and settled me against him, back to front. He tucked his chin on my shoulder while rubbing his nose against my neck. "Read it," he whispered to me.

I could barely focus on the screen with his hands slipping under my tee shirt to rub little patterns on my midriff, but I did my best. "This says personal and confidential," I warned.

"Medical reports," he answered. "Read it."

 _Brown, Bobby_

 _Sprained ankle_

 _Slipped in beer at The Boobie Bungalow while working on Operation LOL_

 _Treated and released at St. Francis-Trenton_

 _Light duty 2-4 weeks_

"What's Operation LOL?" I asked.

"Just keep reading," Ranger suggested.

 _Santos, Lester_

 _Rohypnol poisoning_

 _Drink altered at The Roaring Donkey Bar while working on Operation LOL_

 _Treated overnight at St. Francis-Trenton_

 _Light duty for 72 hours_

"Someone tried to date rape Lester?" I asked. "Can a man even get it up if he's drugged?"

Ranger's arms wrapped around me as his lips lowered to my neck. "No idea," he answered. "I've never had either problem. A question for Les, perhaps?" I laughed, I'd definitely ask him. "Keep reading."

I went back to the report. Cal got a concussion playing volleyball in the volleyball tourney and Binkie had an allergic reaction to some tree nuts that were in the brownies he bought at the church sale. The odd thing about these reports were that they were both listed under Operation LOL too.

Finally, I got to the last entry or entries, I should say. Hal threw out his back, was treated and released from St. Francis, then follow up treatment was provided by a masseuse. He was admitted a couple nights later to Helene Fuld Hospital where he had his stomach pumped for alcohol poisoning. He's listed as being on light duty until further notice. These incidents, however, weren't due to Operation LOL, they were part of Operation S.H.I.T.

"Operation shit?" I asked.

Ranger's arms tightened around me, his lips kissed a line up and down the back of my neck, before he answered. "Click the next tab. I pulled up the incident reports."

I did as he asked while he got back to nibbling on my neck. "You're making it difficult to read," I grumbled at him.

"I can't help myself," he answered.

"I doubt that. You have the self-control of a saint."

"I've never had much self-control where you're concerned," he growled as his hands slipped higher, sending jolts of pleasure through me. "Now that you're mine there's no use fighting what little I have."

He spun me around, his hands suddenly moving to my face, capturing it in a gentle clasp. The fire in his eyes mixed with the tension that was still present. It made him look so incredibly hot he was impossible to resist. Not that I was about to resist anyway. Those days were over. "I can read this later," I offered.

"Later," he agreed before his lips lowered to mine.

8888888888888888888888

I looked down at Stephanie, snuggled in our bed asleep, and smiled to myself. She had a way of making a man feel better. Which was good for me, and probably my men. If it weren't for the last hour I spent with her they'd all be dead men walking.

I knew it would take some time for all of them to come around to the changes in my life, but with the expiration of my contract I couldn't put off what I wanted any longer. Stephanie's relationship with Morelli was never constant, but I'd heard rumors about their mothers planning a wedding even before I left for that last mission. I swore to myself that as long as she didn't have a wedding ring on her finger when I got home I'd make her mine.

It took a lot less convincing than I thought it would. I walked into Vinnie's, her eyes met mine, and I said, "Babe." The smile on her face said it all. She was as happy to see me as I was her. I had her in my arms a moment later. We were both taken in by the moment. The jubilance of finally being able to share the love we felt for one another had me barely aware of my surroundings. That moment was only sidetracked for a moment, by Morelli himself.

He laid hands on her, hard enough to leave red fingerprints on her beautiful ivory skin. I didn't think twice before I punched him in the face. Morelli was out and Steph was safely back in my arms, where she'll stay forever if I have my way.

We crawled into my car and I caught her lips with mine. By the time we came up for air we were somehow in my apartment at RangeMan. That's when she finally said the words I've been dying to hear. "I love you, Ranger." As soon as she said them I saw the relief in her eyes. Then she told me she'd been in love with me for years, afraid to tell me the truth. That was when I knew there was no need to take things slowly.

I dropped to my knees, right there in my bedroom and took her hand in mine. "Marry me?" I asked. I never thought marriage was something I'd want to do ever again, but this was a completely different situation and Steph was a completely different woman. My woman.

"Yes," she answered. I didn't have a ring, because this was the most impromptu thing I'd ever done, but I remedied that the next morning. I served her a Boston Crème doughnut with a side of diamonds in bed. She picked up the ring box and opened it slowly. The smile on her face eclipsed even the dazzle of the diamonds. "It's beautiful," she whispered to me. I took it and put it on her finger. She never even spared the doughnut a glance as she pushed the tray away and dragged me onto the bed.

I let her sidetrack me with a private engagement celebration, but only for an hour. We had other plans for the day. I'd been a busy man that morning, procuring not only the ring, but a marriage license signed by a judge that owed me a favor. The waiting period had been waved and we had an appointment with the same judge later that day. Ella had been sent out for the three most important things: a dress, shoes to fit a queen, and a wedding cake topped with enough buttercream frosting to make Stephanie's toes curl.

We were married at two o'clock at the Trenton courthouse. Of course, things never went smoothly for us. We were trying to leave when we ran into her ex-husband, Dickie Orr. The bastard immediately took a picture and sent it to Morelli of people, then proceeded to say some very unflattering things about my wife. Orr was face down in his own drool by the time Morelli arrived on the scene.

Where Orr was an insignificant, pebble in my shoe, Morelli was an out-of-control, burning meteorite aimed right at my wife. Morelli immediately tore into Stephanie, calling her names, calling me names, telling her he'd ruin her life by putting her scumbag husband in prison. The threats against me didn't matter, but then he said he'd find her and he'd make her his again. That was the final straw. He was never getting near her again. Stephanie called the police while I restrained him. Of course, the moment the other police arrived on the scene I let him go, allowing him to punch me, just once. He was handcuffed and arrested for assaulting all of us, including Orr.

I knew Morelli would continue to be a problem so I immediately called Tank and put Operation Fatal Attraction Revenge Texts into play. I know, I shouldn't allow Santos to name the operations, but he does have such fun with them.

So with F.A.R.T. in motion it was time to get my woman out of town. The next day we stopped at the station to give our statements and took off for the shore, where our new home was located. I planned two weeks on the beach, just the two of us, a pre-honeymoon getaway. I figured the men could handle two weeks without me. They've held down the fort longer than that when I was on missions, but it seems without Stephanie to protect they'd gotten a little out of line.

I didn't even disagree with Operation LOL, Life Over Lula. Tank needed to move on. I wanted him to find someone as special as I have, but the way Lester and Bobby went about it. Well, we were going to have some discussions, on the mats.

I didn't put all my blood, sweat, and money into building this company so the pair of them could ruin its reputation in a matter of weeks. We were considered elite security, not fumbling idiots who hang out at places called The Boobie Bungalow. They are going to pay for that one, especially since they used their corporate cards to pay for lap dances.

And, now, what in the world was their new mission? Operation Self Help in Trenton? I'm not even sure I want to know. They should still be focused on F.A.R.T. Just because we put it into motion didn't mean it was yet complete. The text messages, photos, and videos we'd collected of Morelli were sent to Terri Gilman's family as well as to the Police Chief. I suspect they will take care of Morelli for me, but there needs to be surveillance. Yes, more surveillance and less…frat boy antics.

I sighed, there was nothing else to do, but go home early. And they would pay for cutting into my time with my wife too.

"Ranger," Stephanie called. "Come back to bed. You promised to quit sneaking off on me."

I smiled and closed the laptop. I'd deal with the jokers later. "I wasn't sneaking off," I called back before heading back into our room. "I was just letting you rest up for round two."

She lifted the sheet, inviting me back into bed while also giving me a very good view of what she was offering. "Round two," she replied. "And I plan to pin you this time."

"Maybe I'll let you," I grinned before tackling her back onto the bed. Trenton could wait, a few hours.

88888888888888888888

I tossed Bobby's crutches into the back of the SUV and smiled to myself as I climbed in with my buddies. This week has been amazing. Minus the injuries, but I knew we had to take risks to get the desired results. And the results have been a set of stacked twins, an Asian masseuse that was flexible enough to have been in Cirque du Soleil, and a bombshell that turned out to be Miss New Jersey. I was on a roll and I wasn't about to slow down now.

"I'm not sure I'm up to another night," Hal complained. "My back is killing me."

The whole point of Operation Self Help in Trenton was to help Hal. He was completely self-helpless. He needed to be trained in the ways of seduction and who better to train him than Bobby and me? We got his haircut, bought him some new threads, and tried to show him how to speak with a woman. I admit I should have been paying more attention to him the first night out, but I was busy with the twins. Little did I know that while I was occupied he was talking up the Heavy Weight Mudwrestling Champion of Trenton.

Of course, right when I'm getting ready to work myself into the center of a Missy and Lacie sandwich Woody starts yelling my name. I look up and see Hal is in the ring with Bettina the Great. Hal could have taken her, but he's way too much of a gentleman to fight a woman. And, Bettina, damn! I ain't never seen a woman that could body slam a man Hal's size.

By the time we fished him out of the mud pit he could barely walk. He thought he pinched a nerve or something, so we had Tank haul him into the hospital. (I had plans with two sets of double D's.) Of course, with sciatica there is only one solution…a good deep tissue rub down. So the next morning I took him to The Massage Spot. That's where I met the bendy Ms. Sia and it was a very happy ending, for me anyway.

Hal wasn't as lucky. I ordered him a double, so a pair of girls hopped onto his back, using their feet to dig into his sore muscles. I could hear him screaming, but I thought he was having a good time. I swear. By the time I got him out of there he was worse off than before. I wasn't sure what else I could do for him, but I wasn't about to give up.

Instead of something crazy I figured we'd try a classy place. So we got in our black ties and headed to the opening of a new club that we'd installed the security equipment in. There was no way the women in that joint were wrestlers. They were all smoking-hot little things in tight dresses and tall heels, just the way I like them.

While I went home with Miss New Jersey I left Hal in the capable hands of Miss Wisconsin, a girl that could really hold her liquor. An hour later I got a call from Cal, who was headed to the ER. Miss Wisconsin had given Hal alcohol poisoning and he was busy getting his stomach emptied. I guess the pain pills he was on for his back really don't mix with beer. I always thought that was a bunch of bull.

I'd given the poor sap the night off last night, but we were back at it tonight. I figured the best idea was to stay away from booze, since Hal couldn't have it. So we were headed to the park, where a single mom group was having a picnic. It was a good plan. A mom would never hurt Hal. They're all maternal and crap.

Or so I thought. We put the meat on the grill and set up the food Ella had ordered for us. That's right. I'm a classy guy. I give back to the community. We weren't just there to hit on the moms, we were providing some community service volunteering to help out with the event. So, fine, we couldn't get in any other way, but Ranger would love this publicity. He's always yapping at me about the community commitment we have. Blah. Blah. Blah.

Twenty minutes into set up the moms started to arrive. The tent was surrounded by lovely women in their sexual prime. And they were primed. I got fifteen numbers tucked into my pocket in the first forty-five minute. I knew this was an excellent idea.

"Hal," a good looking brunette called waving to him. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be in bed."

Nice opening, but Hal didn't take it. He turned a nice shade of red. "Hello, Evelyn," he muttered quietly. "I didn't know you were a single mom."

"I've been divorced for three years," she answered. "Come sit with me and my daughter. You shouldn't be on your feet.

Evelyn? Nice. Where's he been hiding this one? "Go," I told him.

Cal smiled as he watched them walk away together. "I told her about the cookout the other night."

"How'd you meet?" I asked suspiciously.

"She was his nurse at Helene Fuld the other night," Cal said. "She's Steph's cousin, Evelyn Mazur."

Stephanie's cousin? Unbelievable. "I guess that wraps up Operation Self Help in Trenton," Bobby said happily. He looked around at the other men. "Who's next?"

"Not me," Cal told us. "No way. It's Brown's turn."

"Don't you look at me," Bobby complained.

"Come on, what happened to Goonies never die?" I asked with a laugh.

"They don't die, they're just crated off, naked, to some third world country," a familiar voice said, startling the smile off his face. I turned around to face Ranger. Crap. "Let's have a talk about the reports I got this morning."

"I can explain," I offered.

"In the office," he growled at me.

"Nothing happened," I offered.

"In the office."

Crap. He was mad. "You didn't need to come home early. I had it under control."

A muscle in his jaw twitched and his hands clenched into a fist. "Move."

"Now, why don't you take the night to settle down a little bit?" I asked. "Stephanie, can't you calm him down or something."

She smiled wickedly. "I doubt it would work. He's been stewing since he saw his bill from The Boobie Bungalow."

I chanced a look at Ranger. His left eye was twitching. Crap. "I can explain that. I'll pay it back."

He ignored me and turned back to the guys. "Brown, you too. The rest of you, good work with your community service."

I watched Brown hobble over on his crutches. I waited for him to catch up before following along behind Steph and Ranger. I knew this wasn't going to be pretty.

Bobby knew it too. He gave me a look that said he was going to kick my ass when Ranger was done. **"Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!"**

*** XOC13 Tag You're It. Hope I gave you something to work with. Have fun.***


	8. Chapter 8 Just Go With It

**This is the next chapter of the Babe Tag challenge.**

 **A huge thank you to** _ **WannaBeBabe**_ **for tagging me and giving such a fun chapter to work with. I had fun with it and hope I left a good setup for the next Babe taking the reins.**

 **The title comes from the movie** _ **Just Go With It**_ **. 'Just go with it' was the main motto of the film and it seemed appropriate for everyone in this chapter, especially Les an Boobie… eerr Bobby.**

 **Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.**

 _ **Just Go With It**_

 **"Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!"** I heard Bobby grind out as I entered the gym.

To say they were surprised to see me instead of Ranger would be a huge understatement. "Hey, guys." I gave them a finger wave as I joined them on the mats.

"Beautiful, what are you doing here?" Lester gave me a funny look as I sat my spandex covered bottom on the mat across from him.

"Where's Ranger?" Bobby asked me as he chanced a glance towards the door.

"I gave him the day off." I said with as straight a face as I could muster.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" Bobby grimaced at Lester's question.

"That _depends_." I answered, nearly losing the battle with laughter at the horrified expression on Bobby's face.

Ranger chewed out Dumb and Dumber for a _looong_ while yesterday. Bobby took the reprimand silently before apologizing, especially for the _Boobie Bungalow_ incident. That simple act alone made Ranger cut him some slack. Les on the other hand, just couldn't keep his mouth shut. And that alone caused Ranger's eye twitch to return. Unfortunately for Brown, Santos' inability to keep his mouth shut earned them both time on the mats this morning.

Ranger was wound tighter than my mother whenever she heard my name on the Burg's buzzing grapevine. It took a lot of convincing on my part, but after giving his taut body a soothing massage I finally got him to leave the 'punishment' in my hands. I can't have my husband worn out for our nighttime activities because of these two.

" _Soooo_ , our time on the mats will be spent with you?" Les flashed me his most playful grin, much to my amusement. He's never going to learn. "Me _likey_!" He clapped his hands enthusiastically as he plopped down across from me.

"Nope." It was my turn to grin.

Bobby was the first to guess where this was going. "What's the punishment then?"

"Dude!" Les shot him a death glare as Bobby hesitated to join us on the mats. After a few awkward moves, Brown tossed his crutches aside and sank to his butt.

"You'll both be working the graveyard shift for the next two weeks. _Monitor duty_." If there's one thing that pains Santos, it's missing the pretty ladies that come out to play at night. Plus, a very credible source who shall remain nameless told me that everybody hates monitor duty with a passion. Okay, that was a no brainer. I hate it too. That's the sole reason why nobody ever does more than two monitor shifts per week. Two whole weeks oughtta make Les reconsider launching his 'operations'.

"That's it?" Apparently, Les just can't control his lips. "That's not so bad."

He was bluffing, I could tell. His half shrug gave him away.

"DUDE!" By the looks of it Bobby would definitely make sure Les learned the _'keep your mouth shut before you make it worse'_ lesson.

"You're right, Les. That's not all." I waited until I had their full attention. "During the day you'll both have to tag team to drive my Grandma Mazur." I heard from Grandma that my mom's crankier than ever, so having a ride at any time of day from the guys is actually a necessity for Grandma.

"Not GRANDMA Duty!" Santos made a face. "She gropes!"

"Then you better stay alert." I recommended as I got up and left to head back to seven.

I heard movement in the kitchen as soon as I entered the penthouse. Ranger had his back to me, so I took the opportunity to press myself flush against his bare back. "Hi." I greeted as I took a whiff of his skin, easily recognizing the scent of the massage oil mixed with his usual Bulgari one. The mix hit me all at once, sending a delicious jolt of arousal straight to my doodah.

"Babe." Turning around, he flashed me his panty ruining smile. As I kissed his smiling lips I decided that the time I spent convincing him to leave the guys to me was time very well spent.

"You're in a good mood." I said on a breathy sigh as I shifted my pelvis to accommodate a certain _piece_ of his perfect anatomy. The thin material of my shorts allowed me to feel exactly in _how good_ a mood he was.

"I'm always in the _mood_." He hinted by whispering the words in my ear. Once his hands slipped under my tank top to splay on my lower back, I knew the briefing of my meeting with the guys would definitely happen _later_.

 _S &R- Two Weeks Later_

I waited until everyone was seated before closing the door and addressing the men in the conference room. "Alright, I've called you guys in because we've got a new mission on our hands."

"I didn't get anything from the higher ups." Ram commented.

"Me either." Junior added with a frown.

A few of the others muttered in agreement.

"No, this is a _local_ matter." That got everyone's attention. "I'm talking about _Operation NANAs_."

All sets of eyes stared at me expectantly, wanting to know what it stands for.

I sighed. "It's short for Grandmas." As soon as I said it, Hal's eyebrows rose. "What?" I growled at him. "I can't always come up with awesome names for our operations." I blew out another sigh. "It was the best I could come up." I've been running on two hours of sleep for the past two days.

"Yeah, cut him some slack." Rodriguez spoke up. "He can't fully function without his _beauty sleep_."

The room erupted in a bout of deep laughter. Assholes.

"So what mess do you want to drag us into now?" Bobby bitched from the back of the room. You would think that he would have lightened up now that his ankle is better. Just for that _Helping Bobby Relax_ is next on the operation queue. Operation HBR? Whatever, I'll figure out a better name later.

Ignoring Bobby's grumpiness, I grinned at everyone and shared what I had in mind for Operation NANAs.

"WHAT?!" Binkie looked like he was about to have a heart attack by the time I was done. "You want us to prance around naked in front of a bunch of grandmas!"

"Dude!" Ram seconded Binkie's outrage.

I lifted a hand to make them settle down and let me finish. "I didn't say _naked_."

"Being in _tiny thongs_ or something is kinda the same thing." Binkie protested.

"Look, all Steph's Grandma and her friends are asking is for a nice, healthy show." The last two weeks spent driving around Edna and some of her friends taught me a very important lesson. "Just because they're old doesn't mean they don't think about men and sex." I defended.

"They're somebody's grandma!" Based on his opposition, I guess Binkie will be out of the operation before it even starts.

"But they're not ours!" I grunted, frustrated that they weren't ready to jump on board as quickly as I'd anticipated. "Look, all these ladies want is to have a good time." Going for the big guns, I pulled out the guilt factor. "What if one of them dies next week, huh? And all she wanted was to appreciate the male form live and in full color one last time?"

Silence filled the room for several beats.

Bobby was the first to break the silence. "I can't believe I'm about to say this," He pinched the bridge of his nose, as if to fight off a headache. "But what exactly will go down in this operation?"

"Bobby, my man!" I knew he wouldn't let me down.

 _S &R_

Leaning against the doorjamb, I stared at my sleeping wife. I was momentarily hypnotized by the soft rise and fall of her chest, the way her parted lips formed a tiny o shape and the way the sheet hugged her curves.

The sun was rising over the horizon, soft light spilling in from the open door leading to the deck. It was as if she was glowing under the natural lighting. Beautiful and breathtaking were the perfect descriptors for the scene before me.

A small whimper escaped her lips, snapping me out of my thoughts. Babe turned to face away from me, tangling the sheet in the process and leaving her back exposed. My eyes scanned the expanse of bare skin, starting from the tip of her messy curls and down her spine to where the sheet rested against round ass.

Remembering that I no longer have to restrain myself or wear down her defenses, I moved into the room. Kneeling on the bed caused the mattress to shift under my added weight, but the movement didn't make her stir. Smiling, I dipped my head to press a feather light kiss on her left cheek. She mumbled something in her sleep, so I did it again. When no other sounds left her lips, I nipped at the swell of the same cheek. That got the desired response.

" _Ranger_." The fact that she still calls me that behind closed doors does all sorts of interesting things to my libido.

I lined up open mouthed kisses along her spine as I yanked the sheet aside and fitted myself against her back. I didn't want anything between us, except the feel of skin against skin. "Babe." I pressed another nipping kiss, but on the back of her shoulder this time. I wanted her fully awake.

If Lester's antics served any purpose, it was to reinforce that Babe and I are one hell of a team. The fact that she was able to lay out a perfect punishment for _Lloyd and Harry_ reinforced her ability to fit into any Rangeman category. When she's worked for me in the past she's basically done it all: distraction and surveillance jobs, running searches on desk duty and installations. Now that she's _my wife_ , she's also the _boss_. The men know it and accept it. So, I got to thinking after she briefed me in bed two weeks ago about the meeting on the mats. I realized that as boss, she's going to be as busy as Tank and I are. Feeling a little selfish about sharing her attention, I came to the conclusion that we needed to have an honest to goodness Honeymoon before we threw ourselves back to work.

The last time we were in Hawaii I vowed to myself that the _next time_ we visited the islands it would be to celebrate our _real marriage_. As soon as Tank returned from his vacation, I informed him that I'd be taking a month long one with my wife. My second in command grinned and proceeded to inform me that _'it was about damn time!'_.

"Oh god!" Babe groaned when she felt my erection nudge against her inner thigh. "At this rate," She mumbled. "We'll have to cut the honeymoon short."

"You complaining?" I teased as I helped her turn around in my arms. "We have a lot of time lost to catch up." I reminded as I kissed her forehead.

"True." She admitted as I rolled onto my back and settled her on top of me. "But we have _time_." Her lips pressed against the scar on my chest as she settled more comfortably against me.

Giving her ass a light slap, I agreed. "You're right, Babe."

As we stayed in bed, bodies tangled and pressed together, I relived the memory of her naked and handcuffed to her shower rod. Unable to contain the chuckle the memory brought, I realized agreeing to meet her at that diner all those years ago was the best decision I've ever made.

"What's so funny?" Babe's slurred words were a perfect indication that she wasn't ready to start the day just yet. And if she wanted more sleep, that's what she was going to get.

"I was just thinking about the first time I saw _you naked_." When I got no response and heard her breathing even out, I couldn't help it. I grinned like a fool thinking about our new reality. She's mine. I'm hers. So simple, yet we let shit get in the way and complicate _us_. But never again.

I guess it's true what they say. **Everything worth having is worth fighting for.**

 _ ******The last line is from the movie Fun Size (that line alone saves the movie). 'Lloyd and Harry' is a Dumb and Dumber reference.**_

 _ ********_ _ **Christibabe**_ _ **, tag you're it. Hope you have fun with Operation NANAs.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Babe Tag Challenge**

 **A/N: The title is from** _ **A Fish Called Wanda**_ **and the quote at the end is from** _ **The Godfather**_ **.**

 **Chapter 9**

"To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people!"

 **Everything worth having is worth fighting for.**

I looked around the VFW, but I couldn't see any sign that our plan had been made. I couldn't shake the feeling that someone had found out and planned to toss a monkey wrench right in the middle of things. Not that I would mind the excitement. I mean, at my age, you took what thrills came your way. On the other hand, I didn't want this to reflect badly on my new grandson.

My thoughts went back to Atlantic City. I was looking around one of them monkey casino hotel rooms when I opened the door to the bathroom, and there he was in all his naked glory. My eyes misted at the memory of seeing Ranger naked. Ever since that trip, normal males paled by comparison, and I knew I'd never again see such a magnificent sight. My friends had started commenting on my lack of interest in seeing naked males. How could I tell them I'd been to the summit and seen the Golden God and no longer had an interest in seeing ding-a-lings that didn't measure up?

A cough sounded behind me, and I turned to see Ralph watching me with his beady eyes. "Hey, Edna. Watcha doing in here? I thought you ladies had reserved the place from noon until five."

I nodded as I readjusted my dentures in my mouth with my tongue. "Yep. Just thought I'd come by and look things over to make sure we didn't miss anything when we were setting the room up."

Ralph got a sly look on his face that set the hair on the nape of my neck on end as he said, "Everything's just the way you left it. It's all a go for this afternoon."

I nodded, and because he seemed to expect it, I made my way to the door like I was leaving. As soon as I was out of sight, I ducked into the ladies room and piddled around for a few minutes. Seeing nothing else I could do to delay my departure, I left the bathroom and made my way toward the front exit. I was just going past Ralph's office when I saw that snake in the grass, Joe Morelli, shaking hands with Ralph.

I flattened myself against the outside of the office and strained to hear what was being said. All I could hear was Morelli thanking Ralph for the information. What exactly the information was, though, I didn't have a clue.

I heard the sound of approaching feet and hurried out of the building before I could be caught.

Frank's cab was waiting outside to pick me up, and as soon as I got in the backseat, my son-in-law turned around and said, "You look like you've just seen a ghost. What's wrong with you, old woman?"

I glared at Frank but remained silent. I still wasn't thinking too highly of him for all the years he'd let Helen have her head about what she thought was best for Stephanie. He gave up after a few seconds and just shook his head before pulling out in traffic.

It didn't take long for him to reach the Clip and Curl, which was where I was meeting the rest of the ladies. Lester had said that he'd have transportation to pick us up there and take us to the VFW. I still had almost an hour to talk with the girls and come up with a plan for just in case.

Frank pulled up in front of the building, and I got out and made my way inside. As soon as the door had shut behind me, Loretta turned the sign so it read closed and then locked the door before pulling the shade.

Misty's mouth was pinched as she said, "We got a situation, Edna."

For the next ten minutes, they filled me in on what was going on, and then we made a plan. It was just five minutes before Lester was due with our transportation when we were done discussing and putting everything into place. Just as we were about to relax, a knock sounded on the door, and Loretta went to see who was there.

Loretta grinned as she unlocked the door to let Lester in.

He smiled at us, showing off his dimple, and said, "Your chariot awaits, ladies."

Fifteen minutes later, he was escorting us into the VFW.

Everyone took their seats, and Lester leaned down to whisper in my ear, "I hope you ladies enjoy the show."

I smiled back at him. "We will."

Music started playing, and a hot-looking guy walked out on the makeshift stage. It was instantly obvious that he was one of Ranger's men. They all had that something that set them apart from the average Joe on the street.

As impressive as he was, though, he was no Ranger. Instead of watching the beefcake show, I turned my attention to watching our plan being put into action.

 **S & R S & R S & R S & R S & R**

Joe Morelli was going to die. Well, that is, if I survived whatever Ranger was going to do to me for this latest scheme of mine. I let out a sigh as I thought about the mess we were now in because I'd planned to give a few elderly women a thrill by putting on a sort of male-review show for them. Of course, that last hour was nothing like the strip shows I'd been to.

Everything started out just fine. I'd rented the VFW for a couple of hours. That would give us plenty of time to put on a show for the grannies, and then I'd take them back to the hair place. They'd go on about their business, and so would we.

The plan was going just like I wanted. I'd picked up the ladies in a stretch limo, and we'd gone to the VFW. Once we got inside, though, I didn't recognize any part of my elaborate plan to give the ladies the thrill I thought they'd get.

I guess I should have listened to the guys when they kept telling me that something was off. I just put it down to their not wanting to parade in front of a bunch of grandmas in what basically amounted to an eye patch over their crotch.

Still, things weren't going too badly and I was getting used to the bell tinkling at the end of each performance before the ladies started applauding. Of course, I discounted the Japanese fans that all the ladies were hanging on to since, even though the building was air-conditioned, it was still a bit warm with the lighting I'd had Junior set up for the show. We had a video camera recording the whole thing, and when it was all over, Junior and Rodriguez were going to make a DVD for all of the ladies so they'd be able to watch it whenever they wanted. Anyway, only a few of the ladies were waving the fans in front of their faces.

I was a bit disappointed that Steph's grandma didn't seem to be getting as big a thrill out of the show as I'd hoped. Then I grinned as my turn approached. I was confident that Grandma Mazur would take one look and I'd see the excitement in her eyes that I'd been looking for all night.

My music started, and I went out on stage strutting my stuff. The ladies started waving their fans in their faces, and I was just getting into my groove when the doors burst open and a bunch of cops came running in yelling about a raid.

It didn't take me long to find Morelli in all this mess. The asshole wouldn't even listen as I tried to tell him this was all innocent and he was making a mistake. I looked over at Grandma Mazur, and Morelli was lucky he wasn't six feet under with the glare she was giving him.

As we were led out to the police paddy wagon, my brain was scrambling to think of a plausible way out of this. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hector slip away from the group. I grinned…then grimaced as I knew just who he was going to contact. I was a dead man.

 **S & R S & R S & R S & R S & R**

 _Oh, shit!_

This was bad, and I wasn't certain that I could save Lester from Ranger's wrath this time. Although, to be honest, the way I was feeling right at this moment, if I got to Les first, I might take a page out of Ranger's book and send him to a third-world country with the clothes he was wearing and a toothpick myself.

I booted up my laptop—the one Ranger had issued me so that I could do in-depth searches on low-life, scum-sucking, bad guys and not have to use my own personal machine—and got the footage of the raid. Sure enough, there in the lead was none other than that rat-bastard, Morelli.

My eyes narrowed as I zeroed in on the smirk he was wearing.

Suddenly, Morelli turned and looked right at me. His smile widened, and he mouthed the words, "Gotcha, Cupcake! Let's see you get the old bat out of this."

The rage I was feeling before was nothing compared to the emotions running through me now. I couldn't help but mumble to myself, "Lester, you're going to pay big-time for this stunt."

The tingling at the back of my neck had me turning to see Ranger lounging against the door. His eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth. "What has Santos done now?"

I sank back in the chair and motioned to the screen. "He got my grandmother arrested for running a prostitution ring."

Ranger stilled, his blank look slipped over his face, and his tone was deadly soft as he said, "You want to repeat that, Babe?"

I grimaced. As much as I wanted to make Lester squirm for his actions, Ranger wouldn't be playing this time when he dealt with his fun-loving cousin. It would be no-holds-barred-ship-you-to-another-country if Lester didn't watch it. I let out a deep sigh and then forged ahead as I said, "Lester set a plan in motion for Grandma Mazur and her friends where all the single guys of RangeMan would parade around in front of them wearing just thongs."

Ranger ran his hand over his face, but there was no change in expression and he remained silent waiting for me to finish the explanation.

I lifted a shoulder in a half shrug and continued. "Grandma got wind of what was going on and set up a silent auction. She thought that part of the reason Lester was coming up with all of these crazy schemes was because he was lonely. So she talked with her friends, and they decided that while the guys were parading around, they'd have a silent auction so they could bid on the candidate they wanted for one of their unmarried granddaughters."

There was a miniscule narrowing of Ranger's eyes but no other visible sign that he'd heard anything I'd said. I took that as his way of telling me to continue, so I went on to say, "Apparently, Morelli has been running surveillance on Grandma, thinking that sooner or later, I'd get in contact with her, and then he could find out where I am. He saw the RangeMan guys go into the VFW and figured he'd kill two birds with one stone and arrest them all. His thinking is he's embarrassing you and your men and he's bringing me out in the open so he can get to me. Hector texted me about thirty minutes ago, and this is the feed that he sent. Morelli just confirmed what Hector and I were speculating with his last comment to the camera."

Ranger straightened from the doorway and headed in my direction. I went to move, but he motioned for me to stay put. Instead, he leaned over my shoulder and, with his right hand, tapped on a few keys to play the video again, then stood there watching as the scene played out again.

On the screen, you could see Lester parading around on stage in a barely there thong that just covered his male appendage. He was posing and giving all of the old ladies gathered a real show. Just as a bell tinkled, the doors burst open and Joe Morelli, Ronald Gaspick, and several other Trenton police officers raced into the room with guns drawn, saying, "This is a raid."

Ranger and I watched as all of the RangeMan guys, as well as the seniors, were handcuffed and led out of the building. When we got to the point where Morell turned to the camera and sent his message to me, Ranger stiffened and a low growl came from him.

Just then my phone rang. I retrieved it from my bag to see that it was from my mother. I rolled my eyes and connected the call. "Hello."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum! Do you know what those hoodlums you run around with have done? They've gotten your grandmother arrested! I'll never be able to hold my head up in the 'Burg again."

I gave Ranger a droll look as I replied, "Gee, Mom… I didn't think anyone in the 'Burg was still talking to you."

"Shut your smart mouth right now, little missy! Your grandmother is in jail, and this is all your fault."

The phone crashed in my ear, and I pulled my cell away with a grimace.

Ranger had his own cell phone out. Four words—I'm on my way—were all that he said when it was answered, but I'd have been terrified if I'd been on the receiving end of the message. I'd seen that look on his face once before. It was right after Abruzzi had kidnapped me and burned my forearm. Before the night was over, Abruzzi was dead.

I watched as he put his phone back in its spot on his utility belt, and then he looked at me. "Are you coming with?"

I nodded. I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but I knew I had to go with him to keep him from killing Lester before we figured a way out of this mess. As much as I wanted to strangle Les right now myself, I couldn't let anything really bad happen to him, or I'd feel guilty for the rest of my life.

The drive, under normal circumstances, would take about three hours, but Ranger managed it in just under two. He didn't even slow down when we reached the city limits. It was fortunate for the cops that no one was around to stop us.

 **S & R S & R S & R S & R S & R**

Santos was a dead man. I'd been running my options of what to do with him through my mind for the past two hours, and no matter what the scenario was, everything came back to my finally beating him bloody for getting Stephanie's grandmother arrested for running a prostitution ring. How the hell did that happen?

I parked the Turbo in my usual slot and climbed out. I was aware of Stephanie joining me, but it wasn't until she placed the palm of her hand against my back that I instantly settled. How was it that she was able to calm me with one touch of her hand? Hell, when it came right down to it, just the thought of her had the ability to calm me.

All those years fighting this intense need for her wasted, when what I'd really wanted all along was exactly what I had now. I guess what they say about **everything worth having is worth fighting for** is true, and I'm just glad I finally got my head out of my ass and fought for Stephanie.

"Ranger."

I turned to look at her, only to see that her attention was fixed on the three people beside the elevator—Tank, Hector, and Stephanie's cousin, Eddie Gazarra.

I adjusted my stride to match Stephanie's as we made our way over. "Report."

Tank winced. "Sorry, man. I had no idea Lester was hatching another lame-brained plan like this."

One eyebrow rose, but other than that, I let nothing show. "How did you luck out?" I looked at Hector, noticed a slight flush to his cheeks, and stopped dead.

Hector looked down at the ground and shifted nervously from foot to foot. In all the years I'd known him, I'd never seen this side of him before.

Before I could question him, Eddie cleared his throat and said, "I was able to talk with Grandma Mazur before Morelli insisted on putting her in a holding cell."

I nodded to indicate he should continue while one hand went behind my back to capture Stephanie's hand and I wrapped my larger one around hers.

Eddie let out a disgusted sigh, then said, "I'm not the only one who would like to tar and feather Morelli for this raid. Half the precinct has a grandmother in lockup."

Stephanie frowned. "Why that particular charge, though?"

Eddie's gaze shifted to her. "Embarrassment factor. And everyone knows that you're his prime target. Unfortunately, there isn't anything we can do."

Stephanie nodded. "So tell me exactly what Grandma said."

We made our way into the elevator, and I pressed the button for the seventh floor as we listened to Eddie detail his conversation with Grandma Mazur. I picked up several key elements, and a plan started to form. By the time we reached the apartment, I had a working solution to the problem at hand.

My gaze went to Hector. "I need the footage."

He nodded and stepped back into the elevator as the rest of us went inside the apartment and took seats at the kitchen table.

My gaze once again went to Tank as I asked, "How did you stay out of this one?"

Tank shrugged. "Seems Hal and I were exempt because we're in relationships."

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened and Hector joined us. He placed a laptop on the kitchen table, and once he had it up and running, he typed in a code and the footage from the VFW started running.

Stephanie's mouth dropped open. She sat there for several seconds just staring at the screen, and then she frowned.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and waited till she turned to me before I said, "I see the wheels turning, Babe. Want to clue the rest of us in?"

"Grandma didn't tell Eddie everything. There was something else going on here."

Now she had all of our attention.

I gave a slight nod. "Explain."

Stephanie turned the laptop and put the volume at max before she backed up the footage and let the tape run a second time. After the third "performer," I caught on to what had drawn her attention. By the time Binkie—who was the fifth performer—did his little routine, the rest of them had caught on as well.

Hector glared. "What is your grandma doing?"

Stephanie shook her head, a bemused expression on her face as she told the rest of them what she'd already told me earlier. "Grandma was conducting a silent auction. See the waving fans? Those are the bidders, and the tinkling of the bell denotes the 'performer' has been bought."

Eddie grinned. "Only your grandma, Steph." His look sobered. "That doesn't help our case though. In fact, it hurts it."

My eyes narrowed as I searched for a way to fit the new information into the plan I'd formulated. It would be a stretch…but we might just be able to pull this off. "If this was all for a charity event, there wouldn't be a case against them."

Everyone looked at me.

Stephanie smiled. "Exactly." She turned to Hector. "I need a still photo of each and every guy who took part in this. Full-body shot. And if you can get twelve different shots of each guy, that would be perfect."

Hector nodded, although from his look, it was obvious he didn't know where she was going with this.

If I were honest, I didn't know for sure yet either, but I knew I'd catch on.

While we waited for Hector to return, Stephanie walked us through her idea, and I had to admit, my wife was a genius. Morelli wasn't going to know what hit him. Of course, if I had my way, the blow would be lethal.

Twenty minutes later, Hector rejoined us with a stack of photos.

Stephanie quickly riffled through them and then stood and kissed Hector's cheek. "These are perfect."

My phone chirped, and I took it out to see my lawyer, Daniels, had sent me a text to say there was a hearing on the case in fifteen minutes. I had an idea they'd kept him in the dark about the case coming up so that he wouldn't be able to inform me in time.

I stood, placing a hand on Stephanie's back, and said, "We need to move. The case is being heard in just a few minutes, and if we're going to get there in time, we need to move now."

Ten minutes later, we were walking into the courthouse. The minute we walked into the courtroom, I could see each of my men stiffen, and from the looks on their faces, they knew they were in deep trouble. It wouldn't surprise me if they considered pleading guilty just to avoid the consequences they were going to face from me for their part in all this.

We took our seats behind Stephanie's grandma.

Grandma Mazur made a move to turn in our direction, but the guard seated beside her whispered harshly for her to sit still or she was going to be sorely sorry when they got back to the holding cell.

I could feel Stephanie tensing beside me, and I gently squeezed the hand I was holding to let her know that I'd heard as well.

The clicking of the door behind us as it closed told me someone else had entered, and from the pain in my neck, I had a feeling the person walking to the front of the courtroom was none other than Morelli. When he got even with the guard seated by Grandma Mazur, the guard looked up and sent him a simpering smile. That explained why she was treating Grandma Mazur so harshly.

Morelli had just sat down when the case was called.

My lawyer moved to the front and introduced himself to the judge. He handed over the documents and photos that we'd brought with us.

The judge looked through everything, and from the nodding he was doing, I knew that he was accepting our take on things. The judge looked up and scanned the people in front of him. All of a sudden, he stiffened and his eyes got big. There was a pink tinge to his cheeks, and he looked like he'd swallowed something sour.

Stephanie leaned over and whispered, "The third lady from the right is his mother."

I felt the corner of my mouth move but gave no other sign that I'd heard.

The judge—Randolph Appleman—sat forward and looked at the group before him. "I've been informed that all of you were gathered at the VFW for a benefit to raise money for the children's wing at St. Francis. While I can't say I condone your method of raising money, it is effective. According to these receipts, you ladies have managed to raise over fifty thousand dollars. That's quite impressive."

Appleman's gaze turned to the RangeMan guys, and he swallowed hard before continuing. "I'm sure your participation in this event is appreciated. If there's a next time, you might want to consider wearing a bit more apparel, though. Some of these photos are quite racy."

I could see that my men were perplexed. They had no clue what the judge was talking about or why they seemed to be getting off the hook, but they weren't dummies and no one was saying anything.

The elderly women with Grandma Mazur were just as confused, but they too seemed to know not to rock the boat.

Finally, the judge ran his hand through his hair and banged his gavel on the desk as he said, "Case dismissed."

Morelli stood forcefully. His hands were clenched in fists and his face was red, a muscle clenched in his jaw as he opened his mouth to say something.

Appleman glared at Morelli. "Watch your step, detective. If any of these people wanted, they could sue you for wrongful imprisonment."

Morelli wisely chose to back down. I heard his sigh before he turned to leave. The minute he saw Stephanie and me, his eyes went hard. We stared at each other for several seconds before Morelli stalked out of the courtroom.

Stephanie hugged her grandma, and then we joined the others leaving the courtroom.

Grandma Mazur said, "How did you pull this off?"

Stephanie smiled. "Hector arranged for the photos, and Ranger knows someone who was able to make the calendars. Of course, Ranger also made arrangements for the fifty-thousand-dollar check payable to the St. Francis Children's Ward."

Grandma turned to me with a smile. "Don't be too hard on Lester. It was a nice idea. Of course, he doesn't know that I've already seen the cream de le cream of male appendages and no other man can compare." She winked.

I chuckled. "It's nice of you to try to smooth things over for him…"

She waved her hand in front of her face. "Yeah, but you'll bust his butt anyway, right. Well, I tried. Don't hurt him too badly, though. He has a date with Sarah Rawlins Saturday night. Her grandmother, Bernice, won the bid."

I looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Do the guys know that you auctioned them off?"

Grandma's eyes widened. "Heavens, no! They would never have agreed to that."

I let the corner of my mouth lift. "Don't worry. I'll make the dates part of the consequences for putting their plan into motion."

Grandma Mazur's eyes lit up. "Oh, goodie. I can't wait. I wouldn't be surprised if some of your guys left their bachelor days behind them."

By now we'd reached the hallway outside the courtroom where my men were standing. I knew they'd heard the last statement because they'd each stiffened. Of course, that might have something to do with my presence as well.

I nodded at my men. "I'm glad you're all here. Grandma Mazur has just informed me that each of you has a date with destiny."

Lester frowned. "I think you misunderstood, Mrs. Mazur. This was a one-time deal."

I folded my arms across my chest. "She didn't misunderstand anything. While you idiots were dancing around in next to nothing, the ladies were bidding to see who would win your companionship for an evening. I've just assured her that each of you will follow through with your…date."

My gaze brooked no argument.

Ten pairs of eyes glared in Lester's direction.

Hector chuckled.

Grandma patted Hector's arm. "I'm so glad you are enjoying this. I'm sure you'll hit it off with Margaret's grandson. He's a marvelous young man."

Hector looked like he'd been sucker-punched. His gaze darted to me, and I just looked at him. After a couple of seconds, he winced and said, "Just tell me when to meet him."

The look he sent Lester would have had a lesser man pissing his pants. My cousin just shrugged and said, "No reason to leave you out of the fun."

I let my gaze go to Lester as I told him, "You're on monitor duty in thirty minutes. You better get moving so you're in uniform."

Lester winced. He opened his mouth to say something, but then for once in his life, he got smart and shut it again without commenting.

I turned to the rest of the men and said, "As I said, every one of you will fulfill your obligations and treat your dates to a night they won't forget. I'm tired of these shenanigans. From now on, anyone who takes part in one of his little schemes will suffer the same fate as Lester. I have to tell you, I'm thinking more and more of sending him to a third-world country with no more than what he was wearing while strutting his stuff tonight. Just remember that the next time he tells you about one of his little plans."

Bobby's gaze met mine, and he looked like he meant business. When I heard his last line, I couldn't help but think that would fit in regards to Morelli too. "Don't worry. I'm tired of taking the heat for his lame-brained plots. I'm not going to wait till he comes up with another one. No sir! As soon as I get back to RangeMan, **'I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.'"**

 **There you go,** **Girliegirl1179. Tag, you're it!**


	10. Chapter 10 Tomorrow is another day

**"After All, Tomorrow Is Another Day!"**

 **Looks like we're back in business! Thanks for the messages asking if we were going to continue... There's still room for more authors! Hope you enjoy this little bit of fun, let us know what you think!**

 **by MargaretLucylu**

 **Previously:**

 **A raid led by Morelli on the Grandma's 'silent auction' led to arrests and court time, but since it was for a 'worthwhile cause' the judge let everyone go.**

 **Bobby had enough of Lester's lame brain schemes and said, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.**

 **x0x0x0x0x0x0x0**

Hector took the information given to him by Edna Mazur to look up Margaret's grandson for himself. Being set up on a blind date he was bid on, not to mention claimed for someone's grandson set off alarm bells ... but once Hector got a good look at the young man whose picture was pasted on Margaret's Face Book wall, a grin came out to settle on his lips.

Looking at man with coal black hair and grey eyes was a major turn on for Hector, but his interest was piqued when looking him up further using Rangeman searches. The owner of his own investment firm for several years now, he was surprised to find that he had extensive charitable works done without any acknowledgement whatsoever. He spent time Mentoring children in the poorer districts of Trenton, and donating money to Father Matt's Church for hot meals, Hector wasn't surprised to find out he belonged to the same church as his Angelita.

Hitting a number on his phone, he was happy to hear her voice and asked her to join him in his apartment when she had the chance. No Matter What, Stephanie always had time for Hector. They partnered up whenever a bond came in that was in their price range. Since Vinnie's went out of business, Rangeman did the bonds themselves these days, so there were a lot fewer lower dollar bonds, nobody wanted to fall under the Rangeman fire.

A soft knock was the cue she arrived just in time, so Hector froze the picture of his 'date' before he answered his door to let Angelita into his private space. Not many were granted that privilege at all. Giving him a kiss on his teardrop tattoos, Steph said, "What's up Hermano?"

"I need to pick your brain, come and I will show you," Hector said leading her by the hand. Pulling out a chair for her to sit close by him, he turned the computer facing her and said, "Meet my date, what can you tell me about him?"

"Oh, that's Andres Jose' Rameriez, he's so nice to help me out when its my turn to supervise the kids playtime while the parents are busy 'talking to God'" Stephanie said using finger marks to emphasize the talking to God part.

"I had heard he was gay, but I didn't know if he was your type. I wouldn't set you up on a blind date, either. As far as I know, he's been pretty lonely besides church and his job, and matter of fact he is who I use to invest my salary from Ranger with. He's made me scads of money, and I just let him play with it as he seems fit."

Hector's eyebrow arched as he asked, "You trust him with your money?"

Steph put her hand on Hector's arm and said, "Just like I trust you guys with my life, my money is safe with Andres."

 **x0x0x0x0x0x0x0**

The buzzer went off on the control room floor, also carrying over to the men's floor and their apartments. Coming from the lobby cams, everyone could see it was Joe Morelli causing a scene.

 **"I know she's in the building. You send Stephanie what-ever-last-name she's using this week down here NOW!"** Spittle flying from his mouth, one would almost say he was a drooling dog with a glandular problem.

Ranger silently entered Hector's apartment, wanting to give his wife options in dealing with the over heated man still ranting and raving in his lobby. "Babe, how do you want to play this? It's all up to you. Tank would be more than happy to take out the trash." Pointing to the laptop Hector, Steph, and Ranger could see just that happening. No way was Morelli getting around the mountain man called Tank.

"Let's just get this over with so we can start back up where we left off," she told her husband. "Away from all this drama we're having to deal with on a daily basis. I'm surprised my mother isn't with him as he's about the only person still talking to her."

Neither Ranger nor Steph were surprised when Hector joined them on the descending elevator. Even hearing the tone of Joe's voice had Steph shivering in her husband's arms. The undeniable rage that Morelli possessed was the one thing Steph was hesitant about. But, knowing the men closest to her would protect her gave her courage to face Morelli head on.

A shriek of anger was all anyone heard as Helen Plum seemed to pop out of no where, "Speak of the devil and there she is," Steph said.

In a tone a voice guaranteed to be worse than fingers down a chalkboard, everyone heard the wailing of " **I demand to see my daughter! It's my God given right and no one will keep me from her. Joseph and I came to get her and bring her home where she belongs."**

"Just think, Babe, we can get them both taken care of right now. Hector can go on his date with Andres, and report back to you how his 'charming companion' was enjoying their night out on the town, you and I can go home, and maybe Lester will stop using his 'little brain' to make decisions. So, what do you say we get rid of the garbage infecting the building?" Ranger slid his hand to her lower back while whispering in her ear.

"Why Ranger, you say the sweetest things," Steph looked up at the man who captured her heart and soul so many years ago. "But I don't think the situation will go away unless we confront it directly. " Stephanie exclaimed to the men surrounding her as the elevator doors opened, **"It's time everyone admitted that One Ranger Is All I'll Ever Need!"**

 **x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0**

 **A/N. Spiffytgm, you're it! Bring your A game...per usual.**

 **Not ours, belongs to that woman named Janet what's her name.**


	11. Chap 11 Knights who so recently said NI

**(Knights who so recently said, "Ni")**

 **By Spiffytgm :-)**

 **Thank you to the lovely MargaretLucylu for tagging me with the next chapter in our continuing saga. If you haven't already guessed, I chose Monty Python and the Holy Grail as my inspiration for the title and the movie quote. Quite possibly my all time favorite comedy. (which should tell you something about me)**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little submission. Let us know what you think! Oh, and none of the characters you recognize belong to any of us. Bummer.**

 **o0()0o**

" **It's time everyone admitted that one Ranger is all I'll ever need**." Stephanie didn't necesarily shout, but no one heard her over the cacophany of her mother and Joe yelling at poor Junior sitting at the front desk. Even with Tank standing behind him it didn't seem like either of them were going to be intimidated, or stopped for that matter. She thought she would have to talk Ranger into giving Junior hazard pay. Who would have thought you could qualify for that sitting at the front desk?

Rolling her eyes, Stephanie stuck her fingers in her mouth and gave a shrill whistle. The yelling ceased instantly as the pair turned to look at her, slack jawed as usual. Really, she had no idea what she ever saw in Joe, or why she put up with her own mother's personal brand of hell for so long, but that time was way past over. Fisting her hands on her hips, she started to tell them what's what. "What the hell is wrong with the two of you? Don't you have anything better to do than scream like a pair of raving lunatics?" Helen drew in a breath as if she was going to speak, but Stephanie held up a hand. "Don't even start. I'll get to you in a minute."

Helen froze with her mouth open like a trout, but Stephanie had already rounded on Joe. "And you! Didn't you get fired from the TPD? You're like a bad frigging case of Herpes, Joe, you just keep coming back. How many times do we have to run you out of Trenton before you take the hint and stay gone? Furthermore, what in the name of all that is holy are you doing here, trying to arrest everyone I care about?"

Joe managed to slap a sneer on his face. "You think the TPD is the only police force looking for a good detective?"

Shaking her head and laughing Stephanie said, "I'm sure every police force is looking for a good detective, but which one got you instead?"

Joe clenched his jaw, but didn't otherwise rise to the bait. "You're looking at the newest detective in the New Jersey State Police, Cupcake. You should have stuck with me, you'd be going places."

Stephanie blew out an exhausted breath and said, "I'd be going to Bellvue by now if I'd stayed with you, Joe. You drive me crazy." She turned her attention once again to her mother. "And what has your panties in a twist, mother?"

Helen turned beet red. "Stephanie Michelle Plum, you do not talk like that in mixed company. People would think I raised you with no manners."

Stephanie did a mental head slap. "What people are going to think I don't have manners because I said panties?" At her mother's horrified gasp, she continued, "I didn't ask you what crawled up your ass and died, did I?" The corner of Ranger's mouth tipped up like he was thinking about smiling, and Tank hid his laugh behind a discreet cough.

"THAT'S IT!" Helen screeched. "You're coming home with me, young lady, and the first thing we are going to do is wash your mouth out with soap. I've had about all I can stand from you. How could you let your own grandmother get arrested? How could you stay here with these criminals? Why do I have the only daughter who can't settle down with a nice boy like Joe and raise a good family? Why me?"

Stephanie resisted the urge to roll her eyes and say, "Blah, blah, blah."

Helen took a step towards her daughter, but was stopped short when Hector inserted himself between the two plum women. "Es posible que desee pensar en lo que quieres hacer." _(you might want to thik about what you want to do)_

Helen paled and took a step back. She shot Stephanie another look and said, "Are you really going to stand there and let him talk to me that way?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "In what way, mother, Spanish?" She wasn't really pissed off anymore, but she was frustrated by the fact that neither of these two seemed to be able to buy a clue. "Look, mom, The guys tried to give grandma and her friends a little thrill. Yes, it backfired, but I had nothing to do with it. I didn't know about it, and I certainly had no idea that it was going to lead to a court appearance. If you want to know why they got arrested, you might want to talk to the idiot standing right next to you." She turned and looked at Joe. "And you. What the Hell were you thinking, arresting my grandmother? Did you really think that was going to win you any favors around here? Can't either of you figure out that I'm happy exactly where I am doing exactly what I'm doing?" She pointed a finger at Joe. "I don't love you." She swung her finger back to her mother. "And I'm done putting up with your crap." She looked back and forth between the two, but they remained silent. "Really, I'm just done with the whole situation. I want to go home with my husband, not deal with your insanity. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go help plan operation **B** etter **U** nderstand **S** omeone's **T** aking **E** very **D** ate."

Junior looked up at her from his seat at the desk and said, "Busted?"

Stephanie put her hand on her hips and treated Junior to a mini version of the Burg Death Glare. "Busted."

She, Ranger and Hector turned and walked back towards the elevator. Ranger put an arm around her and whispered in her ear, "Proud of you, Babe."

Behind her, her mother screeched, "Stephanie."

Stephanie turned around and held out a hand to stop her. **"No. Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time."**

 **o0()0o**

 **I think we'll see what Obsessive Reader22 has to say next. Tag, you're it!**


	12. Chapter 12: I'm not quite myself you see

(I'm not myself you know. – Alice in Wonderland.)

Obsessive Reader22

Thanks to Spiffytgm for tagging me, and sorry it took so long. As for my usual, I brought it someplace that it hadn't quite gone. My inspiration for this chapter is the quote "I'm not myself, you know." From Alice in Wonderland. (The final quote is as well, of course.)

I hope that you enjoy this chapter and not be too angry with the crazy train that I boarded for this one.

Helen POV

Stephanie turned around and held out a hand to stop her. **"No. Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time."**

Helen froze, her mouth agape, the realization finally sinking in that her daughter wasn't going to change her ways. Her heart broke, but not because of a notion that her daughter was somehow making a horrible mistake, but because she saw that she no longer had the control over her that she had always had.

Looking at Joseph Morelli, seething and panting in anger at his former fiancée's refusal to see reason, she saw the hostility and danger that could have been. The Morelli's have always been drunks and beaters, but Joseph had always been the golden child. The one that seemed to have dodged the curse. Now she wasn't so sure.

Without saying another word, Helen Plum took a breath turned and walked out not looking back. The realization that her actions caused the emptiness in her life. Her chest ached as she continued her way out of the building and onto the streets. Haywood was a busy street, filled with both new and old businesses. Traffic was non-stop as she stood watching the traffic whizzing by.

She heard the door slam open, crashing against the brick face of the building as Joseph stormed out. He cursed under his breath and grumbled about making a big mistake and how she would pay. The ache in her chest grew and she felt as if she was going to collapse into herself like some sort of black hole.

"Helen." Joseph growled, coming up next to her and placing his large hand on her shoulder. He squeezed, twisting her around to face him; her face twisting in a grimace as pain radiated through her shoulder. "We will get her out of that criminal's hands. She is meant to be with me. She ruined my career with the TPD and brainwashed my mother and grandmother into hating me."

"No." Her voice was quiet but surprisingly firm.

"NO!?" He shouted, grabbing her with both hands and shaking her slightly. "What the fuck is wrong with you!? You're the reason why we have fought so hard. You can't just roll over and allow your daughter to be such a disgrace. Such a disappointment!"

His face was feral, spit speckling her face as he yelled. His hands tightened around her shoulders and she could almost hear her bones creaking in distress. His eyes were black, gone were the deep chocolate orbs that she had seen the past four years. They were replaced with the eyes of someone that she never thought she would see again.

"You WILL go home and prepare for her. She is going to come with us whether she likes it or not. She's like an addict. We just need to get her away from the toxic waste that she has been abusing." For the first time, in a long time, Helen was afraid of Joseph Morelli. The fear rushed through her veins as he continued his rant, explaining in detail the horrors that her daughter was going to face at the hands of a man that she had been pushing for.

"No." she said again, pushing at his chest forcefully. His grip slipped as she caught him off guard, sending him back a few feet. "No. No. No." She whispered over and over, dodging his grasp as he lunged for her. "NO!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He finally grabbed her by the hair and the back of the neck, leading her toward his vehicle which he had parked in front of the building. Pushing her in the back seat, she slipped and smashed her face into the cup holder in the floor of the back seat. Even though she cried out in pain, he didn't look back. He only slammed the vehicle into gear and sped off down the street.

Curled on the back seat, Helen Plum felt things that she hadn't felt in years. She felt the love that she had for her youngest daughter. Images of her little girl, the girl that grew into the woman that had just basically told her that she no longer considered her a mother. The holidays, birthdays and special occasions where Stephanie always made sure that she made something for her mother. A card, hand drawn and colored in brightly. A mud pie filled with flowers that she knew were her mother's favorites.

"When had I started to hate my own baby girl?" She whispered, the view out the window blurring from tears. "What have I done?"

The vehicle lurched to a stop, sending Helen once again into a free fall; this time into the back of the front seat. Joseph ripped open his door, slamming it so hard that the vehicle rocked. When the back door opened, Helen didn't have time to think before Joseph reached in and pulled her out by her arm. She felt the brittled aged bone in her arm crack as pain radiated through her. When she cried out in pain, Joseph only growled at her to shut it as he continued into his home.

"Get in the fucking kitchen and make me some food." He pushed her in, taking the stairs two at a time as she stood gathering her thoughts.

'I can't do this.' She thought. Tears continued to flow down her cheeks as guilt and shame filled the spaces that fear hadn't quite reached in her mind. Looking up at the now empty stairs she thought about what she could do to make this right. Joseph was in full swing of some sort of violent breakdown. No one is going to help her, and she didn't blame them. With a shaking hand, she sighed and moved into the kitchen to start on dinner.

Steph POV

Stephanie lay on the sofa in the living room on the seventh floor. The screaming match between Joe and her mother left her drained but also confident in the decision that she had made. She loved her mother, there was no way around that, but she had come to terms with the fact that her mother was never going to allow her to live the life that she wanted.

Carlos was in his office downstairs. It took a great deal of convincing on Stephanie's part to get him to believe that she was okay enough for him to get some work done. He needed to focus on his business, especially after Tank's recent time off and Lester and Bobby's failed management. She could admit to herself that she wished that she could crawl into Ranger's lap and cry. She would love to have his arms around him as he whispered in her ear all the reasons why everything was going to work out.

'If I can stand up to my mother and Joe, then I can handle this myself.' She thought, sitting up tall and nodding her head. 'This may be the end of my and my mother's relationship, but this is only the beginning of my life with the man I love and the friends who have always supported me.'

Even believing in those words, the stabbing guilt of losing her mother was still there. She wondered when exactly things had gotten this bad. When had the sweet, kind, caring woman become this vindictive woman. The memories of her during my early childhood were those of after school specials and Sweet Sixteen novels. She was always smiling and laughing; always supportive and loved how creative her and Val were.

It was like one day she just stopped. She just turned off that part of herself and opened up an insecure and bitter woman.

Helen POV

Dinner was done by the time that Joseph came back down stairs. The shaking of her hands had stopped after the first 20 minutes, but the pain that radiated in her chest only grew stronger. Ideas swirled around her head of ways that maybe she could protect her daughter from the woman that she had become and the man that she had fueled all these years. So far, nothing had come close to being manageable.

"This better be good." Joseph growled, sitting down at the table and looking over the serving dishes that covered the table. I served him his food, watching for ques as to what he wanted. She stood behind him, waiting to hear whether or not it was going to be acceptable. He said nothing, but continued to eat. "I can't believe you couldn't teach your daughter how to cook. Isn't that the only job you really have? She isn't prepared to be someone's wife at all."

'Preparing her to be a wife.' The phrase rolled over and over through her mind, conjuring memories of a man that she never wanted to remember. That day, all those years ago, bubbled to the surface choking her with malice and guilt.

 _Stephanie had burst into the house, tears flowing down her face and her dress torn and dirty._

" _Momma! Momma!" She cried, throwing herself at her mother and wrapping her small shaking arms around her thighs._

" _Baby, what happened?" Helen Plum reached down and cradled her youngest child in her arms, looking over her to see if she was hurt. "Tell Momma what happened."_

" _Joey tricked me!" She cried out, her usually angelic features twisting into an angry scowl. Helen knew her daughter had a temper but this wasn't the normal type of mad. "He…He…."_

 _Pounding on the kitchen door stopped her. She shrieked as she saw the menacing figure of Mr. Morelli on the back stoop. Whimpering she curled deeper into Helen's arms. Fear and anger radiated off both of them. The Morelli's weren't known around town for being upstanding citizens. Even Frank, Helen's openminded husband, had warned her not to get involved or allow the girls to play with the boys._

 _Taking a deep breath Helen placed Stephanie on her feet._

" _Go play in your room, Baby." She kissed her forehead and patted her bottom, immediately freezing when she noticed that the Strawberry Shortcake panties she knew were there hours prior were now gone. Stiff legged, after Stephanie had scampered off to her room, Helen turned and opened the door._

" _Keep that slut away from my boy, Helen." Mr. Morelli's greeting was more of a growl. Swallowing she tipped her head back and stood taller, holding the door frame and the edge of the door with her hands._

" _Mr. Morelli, you will not speak of my child in that way." She could feel her body quivering in fear, but stood tall hoping that he wouldn't notice._

" _That SLUT of yours was molesting my Joey." He spat out, his lip curling in disgust. "Maybe if you would raise your daughters to be good Christian girls they wouldn't give cause to call them names."_

" _Keep yourself, your family and your son away from my daughters, Morelli. If I see any of you even set a toe on my property I will call the authorities." She was proud that she stood up to him, but was still afraid._

 _He grinned a horrible malicious grin and leaned forward, his whiskey soaked breath hot against her face._

" _Helen." He reached out his hand to touch her, but she moved out of his way. "Calling the law? I know you wouldn't do that."_

" _Leave." She ground out, trying to press the door close. He held it open._

" _Don't make me come back here, Helen. You know that making me angry never worked out good for you." He laughed and her heart nearly stopped. She did know what making him mad would do. They had gone to school together, and had personal experience with his inability to accept the word 'no' from a woman. "Why don't you just accept your role? My boy doesn't need some slut coming after him. He's too young. You need to prepare her to be a wife, instead of filling her head with those ridiculous ideas of…what does she call it….flying?"_

" _Get out!" Helen's voice cracked as tears swelled in her eyes. He winked and turned around to leave._

The fear never left her, and every day Mr. Morelli would point in her direction and wink. Every day, he would remind her of what he could do to her. That fear created this monster inside of her. That fear made her do horrible things to her child, so that she would never have to face a monster like Mr. Morelli.

Her hands shook, standing behind Joseph, as she realized not only had she tortured her children but she had driven her into the arms of the man that she had always tried to keep her away from. She had been pushing her child into the hell that she knew existed within a monster like Mr. Morelli. A monster that seemed to grow even more evil as it passed into his youngest son, Joseph.

Closing her eyes she realized what she had to do. She had to stop this chaos. She had to let her daughter finally be the woman that she wished that she could have been herself. As she watched, Joseph grumble through the meal she had cooked him, her conviction grew strong.

"You burned the gravy, Helen." Joseph spat, pushing the gravy boat onto the floor sending glass and thick sticky gravy everywhere. "No wonder your daughter is useless."

With a deep breath, she reached behind herself and grasped a large heavy trophy. It had been the highlight of his life, being a football star and taking the team to state. Winding her fingers tightly against the bronze man atop the marble base she raised it high above her head.

"NO!" She screamed as she drove the marble into his skull. Over and over she swung, each time spraying blood around her. When her arms became too tired to strike him anymore, she carefully set the trophy back on the side table where it had been.

She walked in a trance to the door and out into the street. She didn't think about the blood that spattered her clothing, and dripped from her hair. She didn't stop when neighbors ran out to see what was wrong. She just kept walking. She walked as sirens screamed blocks away. She walked, never breaking stride as people gasped and asked if she was alright. She walked until she reached her destination.

"Ma'am?" A voice echoed through her consciousness as she stood balancing on the edge of the bridge overlooking the train yards that separated the housing district from the manufacturing plants. The tracks were a good thirty feet down, speckled with debris. "Ma'am, you need to stay away. I can help you."

Turning around she looked at the man who was standing behind her. He was a nice looking young man, with beautiful green eyes and dark wavy hair. He wore all black, the Rangeman logo stitched into the breast. She smiled at him and shook her head.

"Tell her I'm sorry." She whispered, knowing that he heard her.

"Mrs. Plum, please. Come with me. No one wants you to do this. Just step down and I can help you." The man pleaded. She didn't know his name, but not because she hadn't been introduced. She had just never bothered to remember it.

"Take care of her." She smiled and turned back to the edge. Closing her eyes she leapt, feeling the air rush around her face.

Time seemed to stop as she descended. She smiled realizing that this feeling, of flying, was what her Stephanie had always dreamed of. The feeling of being free and calm filled her as she took her last breath.

Lester's POV

I lunged forward as Mrs. Plum leapt off the edge of the bridge, missing her by an inch.

"NO!" I screamed as her body rocketed toward the ground, and winced closing my eyes as she hit. "Son of a bitch."

No one liked Mrs. Plum, but this wasn't what anyone wanted. He knew that he had to call this in. Both the police and Rangeman were on their way, as he called the second he saw her strolling on the bridge covered in blood. His heart ached knowing that no matter what Stephanie says, losing her mother will hurt her terribly.

"Control. This is Santos." I sighed, clicking on the speaker of my walkie talkie. "We have a situation. Mrs. Plum is…." He stopped and swallowed. "She's gone."

The radio clicked over to respond, but I was met with only silence.

" **It would be so nice if something made sense for a change."** I whispered sending a final prayer.

*The quote is from the Matrix.*

 **CHRISTIBABE…you're up next.**


	13. Chapter 13

Everything had gone wrong and I was stuck in the middle of this huge mess watching it unfold. My partner in crime was in a coma, the only thing keeping her alive was the life support machine, and here I was accused of putting her there. I couldn't remember anything. Not even how this all started. My memory was a blank due to a blow to the head. The only time I came close to remembering was when I saw _her_ on the television.

I needed to know who she was in the worst way. If I was going to keep my sanity, I needed that much.

It wasn't love or any other positive emotion I felt when I saw her. No, the only thing seeing her elicited from me was an overpowering sense of possession. I had to have her. It was the only thing that mattered.

I was in the great room where there were several other men dressed in the same gray overalls that I was wearing. Although our reasons for being in here were different, we all sat watching the TV screen with carrying degrees of interest as the news played out. Several times I caught the eyes of the others on me, knowing smiles on their faces or steely eyed glares, making me increasingly uncomfortable.

Suddenly _she_ was on the screen talking about all that had happened. It was as if she were talking right to me. Then he stepped up beside her and placed his hand on her.

Rage ripped through me and before I even registered that I'd moved, I'd pulled the TV off the wall and tossed it across the room.

A Hispanic man about half a foot shorter than me smiled and shook his head. "She never be yours, Morelli. You lost before you even knew there was competition."

I took a step toward him and his look changed from the non-threatening to deadly. The two tear drops under his left eye caught my attention and I knew somehow that I knew this man. I no longer felt safe. He just stood there, ready.

I backed away and made my way to the door. I rapped twice to let the guards on the other side know that I was ready to return to my cell.

The door opened and the guard escorted me.

The minute I entered the cell, I lay down on the narrow bunk, closed my eyes, and tried to remember. All I got for my efforts was a blinding headache. I wondered how long this would go on, I just wanted to remember.

 _The scene at the VFW was all that I could have hoped for. I'd snuck back into town and called Gaspick. He'd agreed to follow my lead on the raid. It was all going so well till we got to court and once again, Cupcake came out of the dung pile smelling like a rose. Her and that no good thug, Manoso._

 _Pain sliced through my head and I opened my eyes to see I was hooked up to all sorts of wires and tubes leading to machines. A nurse came in and said, "You're very lucky to be alive, Mr. Morelli. Five more minutes and it would have been too late."_

 _All I could think was how I'd wished it had been too late._

 _I closed my eyes and went back to sleep. The next time I opened them, I was standing on the bridge with_ her _purse in my hand._

 _Manoso ran past me and dove into the water._

 _I was stunned when he surfaced with_ her _several minutes later._

 _I watched as he got her out of the water and then a swarm of his men came out of nowhere._

 _One of them kneeled down to check_ her _out._

 _She waved him off and pointed toward the river._

 _Manoso started barking orders and his men scrambled to do his bidding. The one with the flaming skull dove into the water and a few minutes later broke the surface with my partner in crime._

 _There was a tug on my hands and I looked around to see Eddie placing me in handcuffs._

The sound of my cell door opening brought me back to the present. I opened my eyes and I had my wish. I remembered everything.

Manoso stepped into my cell. "It's time for you to admit defeat, Morelli."

I sprang up, wincing as pain once again sliced through my skull. "Never! She's mine and always will be."

He shook his head. "She was never yours. She's my wife now and I'll do anything to protect her."

My eyes narrowed and then I flew at him. All my rage there to aide me in destroying my enemy.

Before I could touch him, he'd disappeared. I swung around but I was alone in my cell.

I tried to sleep, but every time I closed my eyes, something would wake me, and there was Manoso again. Every time I went after him he'd vanish into thin air. This went on for days. I needed sleep. But what I needed more than that was to snuff the life out of Manoso.

Rage built inside me.

It was all I had.

This seemed to go on forever, there was no relief.

My cell door opened.

Manoso stood there looking at me and I lunged. This time my hands went around his neck and I felt his life force drain from him.

There was yelling and swearing. Finally, I was pulled from Manoso's lifeless body. I looked down smiling.

My smile vanished, eyes widening as I thought, _What the hell?_ What the hell was Gaspick doing on the floor of my cell?

Everything happened in a fog. I sat through the trial wondering what had happened to my life.

The judge cleared his throat. "Joseph Morelli, please stand."

I stood.

"You've been found guilty of attempted murder on Helen Plum, and guilty of murder in the first degree of officer Bert Gaspick. You're sentenced to life in prison without hope of parole."

The gavel banged and my world went gray.


	14. Phoenix Chapter 14

This is the **FINAL** chapter of the **Babe TAG HEA Challenge.**

 _Started July 2015 and now_ _ **complete**_ _in December 2016_

 _A great big thank you to all the writers who took the baton when tagged. Some had to pass to have the baton taken up by another writer in the group. It was lots of fun. I hope you enjoyed our TAG adventure. Stay tuned for a new TAG Challenge one day, someday in the next year. Thanks also go to our readers who took the time to read, follow, favourite and review. We appreciate your patience as we come to the end of this HEA tale._

 _Mega-Thanks to our Lynda and her son, for creating the idea._

 _The rules were simple. Each one shot must begin with the last line of the previous one shot._

 _Each one shot must interconnect with the previous one shot by being a Babe._

 _You had to tag the person you choose to write the next one at the end of your chapter…example:_ _ **MomofPhoenix**_ _… tag, you're it. And … Each one shot needed to have a movie quote title._

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Our TAGged writers were:

 _Momophoenix, Margaretlucylu, AvBabe, MMBabefanmmm, Spiffytgm, WannaBeBabe, xoc13, christibabe, Margaretlucylu, Spiffytgm, Obsessive reader 22, ? and MMBabefanmmm._

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

 **PHOENIX**

 **Ranger's POV**

I knew she'd breathe again once **the gavel banged and my world went grey.** In my line of work, we tend to work in that grey space, neither black nor white, on the grey side of legal and leaning to morally right. I have a high standard of ethics and this moron has caused my beloved wife, Stephanie, more than her share of grief. I held her firmly in my arms as she let out a breath she'd been holding and almost crumpled with relief.

"I've got you, Babe."

She nodded and nuzzled her face into my chest as I tilted my body away from the reporters and photographers, giving them a warning glare which they read very well. Perhaps Tank standing with his arms folded, simultaneously blocking Morelli's odious glare had something to do with it. The wall of black guarding her was formidable and brooked no argument that she was out of bounds from now on.

"You've been found guilty of the attempted murder of Helen Plum and guilty of first degree murder of Officer Bert Gaspick. You're sentenced to life in prison without hope of parole."

She was strong and not emotional with this result. We had talked it through with our attorney and he laid it all out. We were well prepared. Our presence was not just a mere formality, but more as a show of strength and solidarity. We protect our own. Besides, this final decision was about closure. Confirmation of the attempted murder of Helen Plum was the main reason for Babe's relief. The sentence of murder in the first degree of Officer Gaspickwas a very satisfying one.We kept our noses clean, dotted our I's and crossed our T's.

Rangeman was able to provide proof of his maltreatment of Helen Plum, assault and kidnapping, as evidenced by the security footage from many of our buildings' cameras. Lester was on monitors when he chanced upon Morelli's POS near one of our businesses under review. Through our security cameras and others we were also to track Helen Plum's moves from Morelli's house. He rushed to follow her when Hal remarked on her unusual gait and it was then that they spotted the blood on her clothes as she reached a well-lit corner. That is how Lester was at the bridge trying to talk her down. He was devastated. He was also holding onto Stephanie's hand as we walked out.

We left the court room and traversed our way through the large crowd effortlessly, with Tank and Hal as the ice breakers, Bobby and Lester as our right and left bower all the while keeping Stephanie beside me holding my hand firmly. Lester was also holding onto Stephanie's other hand as we walked out. Cal, Vince and Ram brought up the rear. By the time we reached the stairs, our black SUVs had pulled up to the curb and our departure was swift and smooth with Zip and Zero at the wheels. Frank, Valerie and Edna were also chaperoned safely away to another vehicle.

Hector, Manny and Woody followed the courtroom protocols and watched the prisoner being escorted in his detention process. We wanted to be absolutely certain that he reached his designated destination, regardless of in how many pieces. That was not our concern. There was no love for this fucker. He had fucked with too many people and with the murder of Gaspick, his treatment of Stephanie and now her mother, made him more than persona non grata … a pariah, and a pox on the face of Trenton. The tables have turned and his dwindling supporters were scarce like cockroaches that had scattered from a spray can. Even his family had disowned him yet they were present for the sentencing. His mother and brother were there with his Grandma Bella, sitting silently throughout the proceedings, all wearing black. There was no emotion, just an obvious degree of numbness.

 **Some call this karma. I call it justice.**

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Helen Plum's injuries were significant considering the height from which she jumped. The fact that she survived was remarkable. There were multiple fractures along the thoracic and lumbar spine, cranial fractures, her ankles and one wrist. She was in an induced coma and was on assisted breathing apparatus. There were internal injuries mainly to her spleen and her liver. The prognosis was not good. Rangeman covered her treatment and provided transport for Frank and Edna on their visits.

After multiple surgeries over a period of months, Helen Plum did finally regain consciousness. The specialists did warn that there may be complications and deterioration of normal day to day bodily functions. The most concern was for her memory, her mental acuity and speech aside from the delayed mobility. Her recovery and rehabilitation was going to be a long journey. Whether she will ever be independently mobile is yet to be determined. There was a lot of conjecture about her recovery that it depended greatly on her will and endurance. Her mindset was unexpectedly positive and driven as the months progressed.

Surprisingly, even though her speech was slow and slightly slurred, she recognised her family members. This was an encouraging sign. Her reaction to Stephanie was unexpected. The nurse tending her remarked how it was the most responsive and lucid she had been with anyone. She was breathing independently now but still had a number of leads to monitors.

"Stephanie. I flew. I now understand." And she smiled sadly. "I have not been a good mother to you. I can't remember but I know I was … not there for you." She cried and looked pleadingly at her daughter. "I know it is probably too soon to ask, but I hope you can forgive me, one day." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Stephanie nodded numbly. She too noticed the lucidity. There was no slurring, just slow carefully enunciated words like it took a great effort to express them. She held her mother's hand and said, "One day at a time, Mom. You worry about getting better."

But her mother was emphatic. "This is important to me. I cannot remember all the details but … I'm confused. I keep having flashbacks. I don't like what I see."

She tired easily and we left as she fell asleep.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

 _ **Almost a year later …**_

"Let's do Hawaii. I'd like to have a do-over. Besides, you need a break. Between work and your mother's recovery, you deserve a holiday."

"Hawaii? Whoa! Back up there, Batman. Not so fast. What do you mean, a 'do-over'?"

I ran my hands up and down her arms and up her back and slowly crept them inside her little pyjama tank top. Her skin feels so soft, she feels so good. I was trying to distract her and she was willing to be distracted.

I have to steel myself. Here goes. Slowly does it. My hands keep working and playing leisurely with her body as my eyes captured hers.

"Well, you recall we were on a job in Hawaii and, we were Mr and Mrs at that time as part of our cover." I watched her carefully as realisation hit. Oh yes. She remembers. Before she's about to explode I bite her lip and suck it inside my mouth. She is momentarily stunned so I probe her mouth with my tongue and we lose a bit of time. Well, I gained some. The need for air breaks our make-out session.

She pushed my chest and held me by the shoulders. Before she could start in on me, I took both her hands and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Babe. I want a do-over as in the real thing. You know, as the real Mr and Mrs Ricardo Carlos Mañoso. We haven't had a honeymoon yet and I have these tickets here," indicating a travel folder "and I would love to take you there, to a special resort, by the beach for some fun, surf and sunshine."

She was about to interrupt.

" _Not_ the same one as before, a better one, on a different island, and just get away, just you and me. You won't need to pack much," as I removed her tank top, "and we can spend a lot of time together on the beach, shopping, sight-seeing, water sports or," as I slowly removed her cheeky boyshorts, "we could just spend time in bed, or wherever, making love all day and all night."

I had her with that as our bodies entwined in the passionate dance of love and we came together as one. Neither one of us could speak for a bit and then she giggled and in her sexy husky voice, she purred, "You play dirty, Batman. But I do like your tactics. I think a do-over sounds like a good, no, a great plan. I really did want to see Hawaii. I'm sure we'll spend lots of time inside …"

"Yes, inside, inside your warm inviting body. Or we can go outside, al fresco. I am good in the shower as you know, but we can be adventurous, you know, experiment, explore …" using my seductive bedroom voice while kissing her erogenous zones in turn and nibbling and kissing her lips.

"Mrs Mañoso, we can leave tomorrow at ten, after I finish ravishing your beautiful, sexy body some more."

I rolled her over and slid into her warm inviting heat, right to the hilt, my absolute favourite place and we made slow unhurried love.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

 _ **Another year later …**_

After Hawaii was such a wonderful success, we decided that winter in Trenton was not ideal. We had made many memories in Hawaii and we made a promise to do that again. We considered a temporary move to Miami, to spend some time with Julie and worship the sun, so to speak. I, of course, like to worship at her temple on a daily basis. Seeing her in bikinis with all that luscious skin for me to admire and cherish had ramped my hormones. Dios mio! What that woman does to me. We had to purchase a few extra since I, let's say, 'damaged or broke' a few.

Rangeman Miami was our base and she was comfortable with Silvio's team very soon. She has becoming stronger and more resilient. The fact that she can take a joke and give as good as she gets had her part of the team in no time. She looked toned and fit and was a formidable opponent with her skills in martial arts which Hector had honed. He had made many of his instructions in Spanish and she didn't realise until we were in Miami how much of the lingo she had picked up. Talking Spanish to her and whispering in her ear, sometimes while she was in her cubicle, what I wanted to do to her while making love, always aroused her more. Miami was good for us. Miami was good for Stephanie.

Back in Trenton, Tank made comment how Stephanie had changed and I concurred. With all the support around her, the loving (from me. OK so shoot me, I can be smug.), and the skills she so frequently demonstrated in her tenacity as a researcher and now investigator; in the gun range (which was a huge turn on) and in the gym. The respect and admiration shown by her Merry Men was more pronounced. She still enjoyed her Pino's and a pizza from Shorty's with the guys. We were a family. It was a good feeling. Watching her interact with the men and with clients in her new role as Human Relations and Customer Service, brought me such pleasure and pride. She was very thorough and with our female clientele, she was able to put them at ease in the presence of these large muscular men. She also recognised the special requirements women on their own needed that were now standard because of her perceptiveness and ingenuity.

Visiting the other branches became a sometimes routine. We made it home for special days and birthdays. Home? Let's say we were mobile. Besides, wherever Stephanie is, then I am home. But in saying that, we often stayed at my beach house, our beach house, near Point Pleasant.

"Is this the Batcave, Carlos?" she asked one day as we were lounging on the deck watching the waves break on the shore.

"No, Babe. I have something to show you."

"Me, too."

As we drove toward Trenton we reached our destination. I code-pressed the gate open and out of the corner of my eye watched her reaction as we approached the house down the tree-lined drive. I was not disappointed.

Carrying her over the threshold, I asked, "You like, Mrs Mañoso? Welcome to the Batcave."

After christening a few rooms, including the state of the art shower with the multi shower heads, she grinned at me. She positively glowed and I was proud that I could do that to her body.

She punched me on the arm playfully, in mock remonstration.

"I know that smug macho grin, Mañoso! You can be proud, Big Daddy. You do this to me all the time. But…"

"Wait. Whoa. What did you just say, Babe?"

"Smug or macho grin? Proud? Or was it the 'Big Daddy' that you're asking about?"

She patted her tummy and smiled up at me. "We made a baby, Carlos. You're going to be a Daddy again, fresh from the start and it's gonna be good. I know it."

I picked her up and whirled her round the room laughing with sheer joy and delight. I set her down gently, letting her body slide down mine and kissed her deeply, one of my toe curling specialities. When she was all limp in my arms, I steadied her and kneeled down, kissing her baby belly reverently. I was so happy and so was Stephanie. We found the nursery and christened that too, just for good luck.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxxox

To say that her life had settled and improved in quality was an understatement. Watching her move confidently and so self-assured was great to see. After all she had endured in the beginning of our relationship and with her harpy of a mother and that asshole Morelli, she had blossomed into a confident woman with a mind of her own, making decisive decisions and commanding respect. I am so in love with her. I'm a lucky guy. I am married to this wonderful woman. She is my heart and soul, my other half, my soul mate.

Like a **phoenix** rising from the ashes, my Stephanie has risen from the flames of shattered dreams clothed in nothing but her strength, more beautiful than ever before.

 **FINIS**

 **THE END**

 **xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The movie title **Phoenix** has a threefold significance. Its symbolism of the phoenix rising from the ashes, it's a metaphor with new beginnings and a fresh start, and, for a clever little birthday boy with a creative idea!

 _On behalf of the Babe TAG HEA Challenge, I want to thank you all for this wonderful journey. To my fellow BabeTAG HEA team writers, it was an exciting challenge. We should do this again sometime, someday!_

 _Kim aka MMBabefanmmm_


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